LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 





011461079 3 







9^. 






.* /. 












MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 




Rear Admiral Clark 



MY FIFTY YEARS 
IN THE NAVY 



BY 



vC, 



CHARLES E.' CLARK 



REAR ADMIRAL, U.S.N. 



With Illustrations 



N ON-REFEK f 




awVAD ♦ OHS 



BOSTON 

LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY 

1917 



EIlS2 

.CST 



Copyright, 1917, 
By Little, Brown, and Company. 



All rights reserved 



Published, October, 1917 



THE COLONIAL PRESS 
C. H. SIMON DS CO., BOSTON, U. S. A. 



OCT 23 1317 



©CI.A476702 



FOREWORD 

Doctor S. Weir Mitchell, scientist, author, 
and physician, who instructed, dehghted, and 
cared for me, made me promise that sometime 
this record should be pubHshed. It is now grate- 
fully inscribed to those who so devotedly and 
capably served on board the Oregon and to all 
who so tensely watched and waited while, 

" Through tropic heat. 
Through snow and sleet 
She hastened onward still." 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER PAGE 

Foreword . . . v 

I First Days at Annapolis 1 

II Rumors of War 23 

III The First Cruise 51 

IV On Board the Ossipee 73 

V With Farragut at Mobile 95 

VI The Bombardment of Valparaiso . . . .123 

VII The Wreck of the Suwanee 167 

VIII An Asiatic Cruise 196 

IX Off Many Coasts 235 

X The Oregon's Race 258 

XI Santiago 282 

XII A Sailor's Log 298 

Index 339 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

Rear Admiral Clark Frontispiece 

Constitution. "Old Ironsides" , . Facing Page 16 

Midshipmen G. T. Davis, F. A. Cook 

and C. E. Clark, before leaving the y 

Academy for active service ..." "48 

David Glasgow Farragut ..." " 102 ^ 

Ossipee " " 106 1/ 

Commodore John Rodgers . . . " " 124 '^ 

VanderUlt " " 130 i/^ 

Rear Admiral Clark and granddaughter, ^ 

Louisa Russell Hughes ..." " 198"^ 

Hartford, with topgallant masts housed 

and without covered spardeck. Rig / 

during the Civil War . . . . " " 212 

New Hampshire " " 236 ^ 

Ranger " " 244 / 

Oregon " " 260 '^ 



" Now north, ondriven with hot coals of wrath, 
While all our home nerves vibrate hope and 

fear; 
Will the dark Spaniard bar her perilous path ? 
Must one fight six ? Oh, could we see and hear ! 
Not they disturbed who towards the battle 

guide her! 
Not she, the lithe and springing water tiger ! 
On to the rescue day and night she runs 
With men who force the fires. 
With men who load the guns." 



By J. M. Finch, Judge of the Court of Appeals, New York, 



MY FIFTY YEARS IN 
THE NAVY 

CHAPTER I 

First Days at Annapolis 

Bradford, Orange County, the Vermont vil- 
lage where I was born, on August 10, 1843, is 
situated upon the left bank of the Waits River, 
nearly a mile above its junction with the 
Connecticut. From the elevated ground on 
which it stands, one looks across the intervening 
meadows to the New Hampshire hills and the 
mountains beyond them: Moosilauke, forty-six 
hundred feet high. Sugar Loaf, or Black Hill, 
Owl's Head, Cube, and Dorchester, while the 
more distant blue peak of Mount Lafayette of 
the Franconia Range rises to its height of fifty- 
two hundred feet, between two perfect saddles 
formed by the nearer mountains. 

From my earliest childhood I never wearied 
1 



2 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

of watching every changing aspect of the differ- 
ent mountains, and I felt the general devotion 
to them all not uncommon perhaps to boys 
brought up among the hills; but Mount La- 
fayette was the special object of my admiration, 
and one of my first extravagances was the pur- 
chase of a small telescope to bring this wonder- 
ful mountain nearer. 

My parents were James Dayton Clark,^ also 
born in Bradford, and Mary Sexton Clark, a 
native of Brookfield, Vermont. The first of our 
family to live in Vermont were Thomas and 
Lois W^illiams Clark, my great grandparents, 
who came to Bradford from Roxbury, Massa- 
chusetts, at the beginning of the last century. 
My great grandfather was a member of the 
General Court towards the close of the Revolu- 
tionary War, in which his health had never per- 
mitted him to take an active part. The records 
show, nevertheless, that when a battle was im- 
minent, he had joined the provincial army. My 
mother's father. Major Hiram Sexton, had served 
during the War of 1812, and her grandfather, 

* Rear Admiral James Dayton, U.S.N., and James Dayton Clark 
were first cousins, but the former was junior to me in rank. 



FIRST DAYS AT ANNAPOLIS 3 

Captain Williams of Wilmington, Vermont, was 
an officer in the Revolutionary army. Several 
relatives had also served with credit in the 
colonial, or earlier wars, so there was enough of 
the military spirit on both sides to account for 
a longing on my part to enter the army. As my 
father, however, left an orphan at two years of 
age, had neither means nor political influence, 
I generally pictured myself as carrying a musket 
in the ranks. 

I was very young indeed when I established a 
military post on the roof of our house. I was 
working out some ideas in fortification, when my 
foot slipped, and I began a rapid slide towards 
the eaves. I must have gone headfirst, for I 
still have a picture in my mind of a neighbor, 
who, with her arms upraised in horror at my 
performance, seemed to me to be walking on her 
hands. A lucky grab at the waterspout, which 
held long enough to partially right me, was 
responsible for my landing on the ground, rather 
less damaged than might have been expected. 

I did not come off quite as well in my first and 
only experiment in aviation. I had been read- 
ing of the possibilities of the parachute, and it 



4 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

occurred to me, as it did to Mr. Richard Swivel- 
ler, that an umbrella might have its uses, outside 
its regular sphere. I spread the news among 
my comrades, one Saturday afternoon, that at 
a certain hour I was prepared to jump from the 
second-story window of our house. My appear- 
ance at the window was greeted by quite a num- 
ber of spectators who were very free in their 
expressions of opinion, some derisively calling out 
that I "wouldn't dare!" and others that I'd 
"better not !" Affecting a composure that I was 
far from feeling at that exciting moment, I climbed 
the sill, spread my umbrella, and launched myself 
into space. All went well for one brief second. 
Then the umbrella collapsed, and when I recov- 
ered consciousness, my faith in parachutes had 
collapsed likewise. 

I only recollect one other experience in the 
military line that occurred during my early 
boyhood. My brother and I owned a little 
cannon, which made a very desirable racket when 
it was fired, but which we felt might be made to 
do even better. So we tried ramming down the 
charge with wooden plugs, and this not giving 
entire satisfaction, we finally drove in the iron 



FIRST DAYS AT ANNAPOLIS 5 

rammer, and shoved its outer end against a rock. 
When the explosion came, something resisted, but 
it was the rock and not the cannon. We got a 
very fine notion of how it feels to be in the path 
of a projectile. This one, fortunately, cleared 
our heads, flying past us into the woodshed where, 
after splintering a beam, it came to rest in a 
much agitated pile of chips in a corner. We were 
quite unaware at the time that we were actually 
demonstrating the principle of the Congreve 
rocket. 

My favorite companion in Bradford was 
William Rogers, a boy about a year older than 
myself. He had a fine mind and was an omnivo- 
rous reader. We were almost inseparable, and 
from him I was for some time content to take a 
great deal of my reading at second-hand. I was 
an imaginative youngster, and while not lacking 
in courage to meet the ordinary give and take of 
my boyish world, my head was pretty well stuffed 
with a tissue of fanciful dangers. Preeminent 
among these was a fearful trio — Abductors, 
Barn-burners, and Ghosts. I had once seen in an 
illustrated paper a picture of the abduction of 
some fair lady by armor-clad knights, and her 



6 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

terrified expression haunted me. I felt that my 
mother, the most attractive woman in the world, 
according to my notion, would naturally be the 
next to be carried off. I often used to make some 
excuse to run home from school at recess, to 
assure myself that she was really there, and I soon 
found it was quite useless to try to spend the night 
at a playmate's house. My apprehensions were 
certain to urge me out of bed about midnight, 
to travel home through a darkness peopled with 
ghosts and burglars, just to make sure that 
nothing had happened in my absence. I used to 
plead homesickness as my excuse, for I did not 
wish to have my mother alarmed about the 
dreadful dangers to which she was exposed. 

There was a little more reality mixed with the 
barn-burner terror. Just why the village of 
Bradford should have been harried as it was a 
few years previously by one or more incendiaries, 
it would be hard to say, but it was a fact that 
during this period the number of barns that had 
gone up in flames furnished the village chronicles 
with matter for some time to come. I used to sit 
in Pritchard's store in the evening, my ears wide 
open, while the old patrols recalled their experi- 



FIRST DAYS AT ANNAPOLIS 7 

ences and disputed as to who was first to arrive 
on the scene, on that memorable night, when 
Jake Flanders, having fired at one barn-burner, 
was slashed by the knife of another. Then some 
cynic would suggest that Flanders himself might 
have cut that slash in his clothing, just to make 
a good story, and I, for one, would feel that this 
was a cruel doubt. Generally speaking, the 
patrols seemed to have traveled conveniently 
in pairs, so that one was able to tell how the 
other had been shaken with fear, while he had 
supplied the courage for the occasion. 

My ideas about ghosts were largely derived 
from some of Washington Irving's tales, which 
Will Rogers and I read and discussed together. 
I must confess that Ichabod Crane's "headless 
Hessian" and Dolph Heyhger's specter, with its 
dreadful habit of walking right through locked 
doors into any house, gave me some very bad 
hours. Will, who was more sceptical than I, 
assured me that these were only old Dutch legends, 
but I retorted with the story of Caesar's ghost 
that appeared to Brutus at Philippi, and the 
spirit that pursued Xerxes' brother in so vigorous 
a fashion, and this argument seemed to us both 



8 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

unanswerable, for of course history could not 
lie, and therefore ghosts must exist. 

I began my education at the district school in 
Bradford, and after that was a pupil for several 
terms at the Bradford Academy. Its principal, 
Roswell H. Farnham, was afterwards an oflBcer 
of Vermont troops in the Civil War, and later 
became governor of the State. He had an inspir- 
ing personality which ought to have brought out 
the best in his scholars, but I fear I cannot claim 
that I was a special credit to him at that time. 
Another principal of the Academy, to whom I 
was strongly attached, was George A. Low, a 
tall graduate of Dartmouth ; my liking was 
based not so much perhaps on his scholarly quali- 
ties as on the interest he showed in our sports, 
notably football, which we often played in front 
of his house. 

During my vacations I was expected to make 
myself more or less useful in my father's book- 
bindery, but as he remarked, when there was 
any real work to do, I suddenly became a great 
reader. There was no lack of opportunity, with 
so many books lying about. I was particularly 
fond of miUtary history and read everything I 



FIRST DAYS AT ANNAPOLIS 9 

could lay my hands on concerning Hannibal, 
Napoleon, Marlborough, and other great generals. 
Fed on this reading, my desire for a soldier's 
career became very strong, and I often used to 
talk to my father about it. It was during one of 
these talks that I suggested that he write to the 
Honorable Justin S. Morrill, with whom he was 
acquainted, for an appointment to the Military 
Academy for me. My father finally agreed 
to do so, telling me at the same time not to set 
my heart on it too much, as about all he could 
say for me was that I had reached the required 
age — sixteen years. 

Mr. Morrill did not leave us long in doubt. 
Within a few days a letter arrived with his frank 
on the envelope. That letter meant so much to 
me that I have never forgotten its exact words, 
which ran thus : "There is no vacancy from this 
district at West Point, as I have just appointed 
Doctor Rockwell's son, of Brattleboro. But there 
is one at the Naval Academy, Annapolis, which 
I have offered to Judge Hibbard's son, of Chelsea. 
He is hesitating about accepting it. Should he 
decline, I shall be glad to let your son have it. 
Would he like to be a sailor boy?" 



10 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

While I did not consider a commission in the 
navy, with its prospect of captain, the highest 
rank then attainable, as equal to one in the army, 
with its more high-sounding titles, yet I was 
excited and anxious enough about that appoint- 
ment to harbor very sinister thoughts about 
the Hibbard boy. These vanished when Judge 
Hibbard told my father that he did not care to 
have a son of his go into the navy, and I realized 
that the coveted position was actually to be mine. 
The appointment came in the spring of 1860, one 
year before the breaking out of the Civil War. 
Soon after its arrival, finding that I could not 
endure the sight of my mother's unhappiness 
over our impending separation, I decided to 
return it to Mr. Morrill. That fine statesman, 
whose continuous service in Congress for forty- 
four years exceeded that of any other American, 
giving him the title of Vermont's Life Senator, 
and who had declined Cabinet positions, took 
the trouble to write to us, letting us know just 
what we were setting aside, explaining the ad- 
vantages of an education at government expense, 
and something of what it meant to be a graduate 
of Annapolis. With this better understanding, 



FIRST DAYS AT ANNAPOLIS 11 

my mother insisted that I should not sacrifice 
my opportunity, and the appointment was re- 
turned to me. So I might say that I owe it 
twice over to Mr. Morrill. 

Sleeping-cars were probably not in existence 
at the time I made my journey to Annapolis. 
At least, I had never heard of them. Traveling 
by day was thought to be a sufficiently risky 
business. Many, if not all roads, ran their 
trains by a time schedule. When a train reached 
a station, its conductor waited for a certain length 
of time, after which he acquired the right of 
way and ran full speed for the next. When 
watches did not happen to agree, collisions were 
in order. 

On my journey to Annapolis I slept one night 
on the boat from Troy to Albany, and the next 
in Philadelphia, where I saw "The American 
Cousin" played at the Arch Street Theatre. The 
role of Lord Dundreary, made so famous after- 
wards by Sothern, was then only a secondary 
one. When I boarded the train at Baltimore, 
I had my first sight of a midshipman's uniform. 
The boy who wore it was engaged in conversa- 
tion, the greater part of the trip, by a father and 



12 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

son who were evidently getting information 
from him about AnnapoHs, in which I would have 
gladly shared. 

Annapolis, of course, was full of boys arriving 
for the examinations, and as I was walking along 
one of its quaint streets, I overheard one little 
group making inquiries as to whether a certain 
Stirling, from Baltimore, had received a passing 
mark. Strange to say, Thomas Williams, the 
boy in uniform on the train, the first midship- 
man I ever saw, and Yates Stirling, the first 
whose name I heard, were my roommates during 
my first year ashore at the Academy. The com- 
bination lasted no longer, the commandant being 
heard to remark that it was a good one to break 
up. Williams was found deficient and dropped. 
Stirling, who became a rear admiral and com- 
manded a fleet on the Asiatic Station, now lives 
in Baltimore. The boy whom I had noticed on 
the train, talking to Williams, and whose name 
was Carmody, had one of the lengthiest careers 
at the Academy. He "bilged", to use the 
Academy term, that next February. Reap- 
pointed to the next class, he was turned back for 
another year, and then he was suspended for a 



FIRST DAYS AT ANNAPOLIS 13 

year. So he was accustomed to speak quite 
contemptuously of some of the officers who 
returned to Annapolis as instructors, saying that 
they came into the service long after his time. 

Not long after I entered the Naval Academy, 
my parents left Bradford and moved to Mont- 
pelier, the capital of the State, which became 
their permanent home and mine, as far as a naval 
officer can be said to have one. My leaves of 
absence were always spent there, and I was still 
young enough when the change was made to 
have many of my youthful memories connected 
with the town. 

Montpelier, as is well known, was the birth- 
place of the late Admiral Dewey, and I could feel 
that I was certainly regarded as her adopted son 
when I heard of the speech made by a local orator, 
who after referring to the battles of Manila and 
Santiago, spoke with true native humor of the 
Spanish American War, as "the war between the 
village of Montpelier and the kingdom of Spain." ^ 

1 At one time in Montpelier much was said about the astonishing 
escape of Dewey and Clark, but this referred to the Admiral's nephew 
William and my brother Lloyd. The Rialto Building that spanned 
the Branch collapsed during the great fire, falling on the ice in the 
river bed below. Dewey remained under it and Clark in it, until 
the crash came. 



14 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

The superintendent of the Naval Academy, at 
whose little office near the south gate I reported, 
September 29, 1860, was Captain George S. 
Blake. Because of his judicious management of 
affairs, he was kept in command with the title 
of "commodore" several years beyond the usual 
term of superintendents. He was a portly old 
gentleman, who had a habit of placing his hand 
upon his stomach and remarking impressively : 
**I can lay my hand upon my heart, and say I 
never wronged a midshipman ! " 

His colored office attendant, Jim Holliday, also 
had the welfare of the midshipmen at heart, and 
remarks overheard at the conferences of the 
Academic Board were often used by him as a 
basis for a word of friendly advice or warning, 
to such of the boys as consulted him about their 
standing, — and they were not a few. A tip 
from Holliday was not to be despised. "Yo* 
mus' sutinly pay mo' attention to yo' mechanics, 
suh," he would gravely admonish some young 
questioner, "or I'm ve'y much afraid yo' are 
going to * bilge.' " 

One of my classmates, returning from leave, 
brought back a message of remembrance from an 



FIRST DAYS AT ANNAPOLIS 15 

officer he had met, which greatly pleased Holliday, 
but at the concluding words — "And he told me 
to ask you, Holhday, how the 'Epidemic Board' 
was getting on?" Holliday's face felL "Did 
he say that? 'Deed, suh, I'm ve'y sorry that 
eveh got out in the service." 

The historic frigate Constitution — "Old Iron- 
sides" — had just been fitted out as the school- 
ship, and also with quarters for the fourth class, 
so I at once went on board. Her commander 
was Lieutenant George W. Rodgers, a nephew 
of the hero of Lake Erie. He was soon after- 
wards killed, fighting bravely for the Union. 
Next in rank was Lieutenant John H. Upshur, a 
true scion of the Old Dominion, who loved it 
much, but the country more. At this day, active 
in body, as well as in mind, his many friends 
hopefully and affectionately see him approaching 
the century mark. 

Mrs. Upshur, whose father fell at Monterey, 
and whose unusual beauty was enhanced in the 
eyes of our Southern comrades by her ancestry, 
captured all hearts. She not only was lovely to 
look upon, but had an unrivalled faculty for 
detecting the homesick, shy, and despondent 



16 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

among the boys and drawing them into the 
charmed circle about her. It was the knowledge 
of this quality that prompted her husband one 
evening, after a reception, to offer William K. 
Pipkin, painfully awkward and homely, and just 
arrived from the backwoods of Missouri, the 
privilege of escorting her home. Instead of 
accepting with eagerness the honor that had 
fallen to him, the embarrassed youth, blushing 
hotly, managed to stammer out, "Excuse me, 
sir, but the last thing Dad and Ma said to me 
when I left home, was : * Bill Pip, you beware of 
the women ! ' " 

**Bill Pip" had entered the class next ahead, 
but had failed in some branch and had fallen back 
into ours. Rumor says he became the colonel 
of a Confederate regiment when only twenty- 
three, and ended his life as a millionaire. How- 
ever that may be, he passed many bad hours at 
the Academy and would doubtless have *' bilged" 
at the first semi-annual examination but for Mrs. 
Upshur's tactful encouragement and sympathy. 
Later, when promoted to the rank of rear admiral, 
I had sincere pleasure in asking the Navy Depart- 
ment to order an officer to the Academy, knowing 




p ^ 






FIRST DAYS AT ANNAPOLIS 17 

that his wife, the only daughter of our battle 
scarred President, was Hke Mrs. Upshur in love- 
liness of character. 

Belonging to the academic staff on shore were 
a number of officers, who afterwards attained 
high rank, or gained distinction in the Union or 
Confederate navies. C. R. P. Rodgers, then 
commandant of midshipmen, Edward Simpson, 
and Stephen B. Luce, afterwards first president of 
the Naval War College, became rear admirals. 
Lieutenant Flusser, a Southerner, was killed fight- 
ing bravely for the Union. Lieutenants John 
Taylor Wood, Hunter Davidson, and William 
H. Parker joined the Secessionists. 

Lieutenant Parker was the first naval officer 
I ever saw, but as he was in citizen's clothes 
at the time, I was not deeply impressed. He 
was the author of nautical sketches, sailing direc- 
tions, and artillery tactics. He became super- 
intendent of the Confederate States Naval Aca- 
demy, and the last I heard of him, before his 
death, he was president of an agricultural college. 
The way his resignation came about was rather 
curious. Despite his Southern birth ^ — he was a 
Virginian — William Parker was strongly dis- 



18 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

inclined to leave the service in which he had been 
reared. His brother, Foxhall Parker, a com- 
mander in the navy, was of the opinion that his 
duty lay with the South. The brothers happening 
to meet just before the outbreak of hostilities, each 
urged his side of the question upon the other, 
Foxhall pleading their birth, connections, and 
traditions, and William loyalty to the flag, and 
to the service in which they had been educated. 
After separating, each reflected upon the other's 
arguments to such purpose that William ended 
by sending in his resignation, while Foxhall 
decided to withhold his.> 

Years later, in Washington, William Parker 
pointed out his brother to a friend, saying: 
"There goes Foxhall, the disloyal Unionist, on 
full pay, and here stands William, the loyal 
Secessionist, down on his uppers." 

To return to the Constitution. Having been 
hauled in as near the Academy sea wall as possible, 
she had been moored head and stern, and a narrow 
footbridge connecting her with the shore had 
been constructed. Under the poop deck, and in a 
small deckhouse amidships, were four recitation 
rooms. The three study rooms were on the gun 



FIRST DAYS AT ANNAPOLIS 19 

deck, bulkheads having been run along parallel 
with the sides, and the gun ports serving as win- 
dows. Our lockers, one for each midshipman, 
were fitted against the sides on the berth deck. 
Forward was the wash room, the number of basins 
averaging about one to five of the washers, who 
scrambled for the first chance, and then put 
in claims — which were always respected — for 
second and third places. Inspection came before 
breakfast, so delays were inveighed against, and 
much attention to the ears or neck reprobated. 
In the interval between supper and evening study 
hours, one of the six gun crews would be marched 
over to the bathhouse on shore. I think I may 
say that the majority of us considered it a great 
hardship that one of our short periods of recrea- 
tion should be taken for such a purpose. 

The only guns remaining on board the Con- 
stitution were eight or ten of the thirty-two 
pounders of the quarter-deck battery, and with 
these we were exercised after four o'clock, when 
the afternoon studies and recitations were over. 
At the end of the first month, it was found that 
in one of the crews were six of the ten men first in 
class standing, but as the second crew, to which I 



20 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

belonged, could run the guns in and out, and shift 
trucks and breechings in the shortest time, and 
also pull our cutter the fastest, we were the fellows 
that were envied and looked up to by the others. 

I remember very well the first time Lieutenant 
Rodgers attempted to teach us something about 
sails. He had the mizzen topsail broken out, 
and stretched along the deck. "Now," said he, 
"Mr. Clark, you and Mr. Glidden lay aloft and 
overhaul down the buntlines." 

"The buntlines?" I repeated, staring at him. 

"Yes, sir! the b-u-n-t-1-i-n-e-s ! " he roared, 
spelling it out, and without waiting for any 
further explanation, I hurried aloft, determined 
to overhaul down any rope that offered. 

We were quite fearless by this time about 
running up the rigging, and those of us who had 
imagination enjoyed looking down from the 
royal jack upon that deck, which "once had felt 
the victor's tread" and where "knelt the van- 
quished foe." I had read the poem beginning, — 

"Old Ironsides at anchor lay 
In the harbor of Mahon" 

with its account of how the captain's little son 
had climbed to the main truck, and stood sway- 



FIRST DAYS AT ANNAPOLIS 21 

ing there, until his father by threatening him 
with a rifle, had made him jump into the sea. 
I was incHned to think that there was more 
poetry than truth in this alleged occurrence, yet 
I have seen Rear Admiral Harry Taylor, who was 
one of the little fellows in my class, sitting on 
the main truck of "Old Ironsides" amusing him- 
self by rolling up the pennant and letting it flow 
again. His only rival was "Brick Top" English, 
who once got on his feet on the truck, aided a 
little by the lightning conductor, which projected 
about a foot above it. Finally the superintendent 
got wind of these proceedings, and ordered that 
no midshipman should climb above the eyes of 
the royal rigging. 

The colored servants who waited on us at 
mess were slaves, hired from their masters, in or 
near Annapolis. Except Dorsey, the steward, 
I recall the name of but one, and that only because 
of a couple of accidents in which he figured. He 
came sliding down the ladder at dinner hour, 
one day, holding up an inverted soup tureen, 
and pouring its hot contents over himself, en 
route. Very soon after this he again engaged 
public attention by falling overboard. One of 



22 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

the crew, promptly seizing a boat hook, suc- 
ceeded in shoving it under the waistband, but 
although his rescue seemed thus to be assured, 
another negro from his place in a gun port con- 
tinued making a great outcry. 

"Oh! shut up!" cried a sailor impatiently. 
*' They'll save him ! Can't you see they've hooked 
on to him all right ? " 

"'Taint all right, nuther ! Dat's my brudder, 
Caleb Watkins, an' he done got on my bes' Sun- 
day breeches ! " 

Another name I recollect among the colored 
personnel was that of Moses Lake, the Academy 
barber. He had been the servant of Commodore 
Buchanan during a European cruise, and the 
walls of his shop were decorated with pictures 
and inscriptions, such as the following: "Wind- 
sor Castle, visited by Mr. Moses Lake, Septem- 
ber, 1858." "Mount Vesuvius, first seen by Mr. 
Moses Lake, October, 1858." 



CHAPTER II 

Rumors of War 

Ever since my class entered the Academy in 
September, the growing unrest and trouble of 
the country had been disturbing the equilibrium 
of our little world. There were much wrangling 
and many arguments among the boys, but no 
real quarreling. In the general sense of upheaval, 
no one — this was especially true of the North- 
erners — felt certain enough of the ground under 
his feet to take an assured position. In fact, the 
youngsters at the Academy were in about as 
bad a muddle as the country at large. After the 
secession of South Carolina in December, however, 
our classmates from the South began to talk with 
more conviction. They insisted, for one thing, 
that as in a division of the country the North 
would have West Point, the Naval Academy 
should go to them. They declared that New 
York City sympathized with their cause, and if 

23 



24 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

a war should come, the Seventh Regiment, the 
finest in the country, would be sure to fight on 
their side. As for Baltimore, they knew she would 
never allow Abolitionists and John Brown sym- 
pathizers to pass through her streets, nor even 
Northern troops to march through to the support 
of Washington, if it were attacked. 

These opinions were being hotly voiced by the 
Southern element in a little group of midshipmen, 
one day, when a first-class man who was walking 
by overheard a sentence that brought him to an 
abrupt halt. He was the late Rear Admiral 
Sampson, then at the head of the first class. He 
was the ranking cadet officer, as adjutant wore 
the most gold lace, and, being strikingly handsome 
moreover, was probably a greater man in the eyes 
of the junior classmen than any of their officers 
or instructors. 

"You say/' he slowly and deliberately repeated 
the words of the last speaker, *'if the capital of 
the nation is attacked. Northern troops will not 
be permitted to march through Baltimore to pro- 
tect it.^ Well, then," his voice, usually so quiet, 
rang out like a call to arms, "the North will 
march over Baltimore — or the place where it stood ! " 



RUMORS OF WAR 25 

He said nothing further and went his way, 
leaving a silent group behind him, and with the 
Northern boys an indescribable sense of comfort. 
Those few words, so clear and decisive, seemed 
like a flag around which we could rally. We 
realized for the first time what it would mean to 
us if war really came, and the safety of the Re- 
public were at stake. At the same time, I believe 
there were very few of us that had any miscon- 
ception of the herculean task the North would 
have to face. Even six months' association with 
our Southern comrades had taught us that they 
came from a military class. Every one of them 
was an unerring marksman, and we heard that 
they could ride as well as they could shoot. We 
were not prepared, however, to swallow their as- 
sumption that one Southerner was equal to four 
Northerners, nor did subsequent history bear out 
this boast. ^ Yet it must be conceded that until 



* The rifle-carrying poor white who shot squirrels in the head 
only, was as yet thoroughly dominated . So the South was prepared or 
organized for war. But this homogeneity and even the social fabric 
could not last. Only on the great plantations was slave labor really 
profitable, so there was a natural limit to the number of slaveholders. 
And while the planter's son was taught that virtue was more than 
the courage which must never be questioned he was exposed to a 
great temptation, and this was deplored by the thoughtful men and 



26 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

inured to war, or thoroughly trained, no equal 
number of men in the world could have stood 
against the quarter million of slave-holders, who 
practically formed in the South a military caste, 
like the Samurai in Japan, or the Spartans in 
Lacedsemon. 

It has always been easy to persuade the unread 
soldier who fought in the Southern ranks that he 
was never defeated except when overpowered. 
This cherished idea was probably never so com- 
pletely refuted as by the publication of Hender- 
son's "Life of Stonewall Jackson." The admira- 
tion felt by this accomplished English officer for 
the Southern hero makes it impossible to question 
his carefully prepared statements, and he shows 
that except at Chancellorsville, where the Union 
army, overpowering in strength, was defeated 
through wretched handling, the victory generally 
went to "the strong battalions"; that the claim 
of triumphs won by inferior numbers, without 
the advantage of position, was unfounded. 

The first of my classmates to resign was Bryan 



the notably loyal women of the South. There were many who felt 
keenly the condemnation of slavery that was increasing in the civi- 
lized world. 



RUMORS OF WAR 27 

of South Carolina, who soon wrote back that he 
was a real midshipman, on board the Excel in 
Charleston harbor. Then the Gulf State fellows 
began to fall out rapidly, among them William 
Earle Yancey, son of the noted Alabama seces- 
sionist. In March came the inauguration of 
Lincoln, followed by Anderson's retirement to 
Sumter. This fort, with its walls rising per- 
pendicularly from the water, we had fondly 
imagined to be impregnable, and its fall was a 
shock, but at least it opened our eyes to the fact 
that the North was united. 

After this, reports came rapidly of the seizure 
of one fort after another, culminating in that of 
the arsenal at Harper's Ferry. The capture of 
this arsenal gave us the uneasy feeling of being 
cut off from our base, as it was situated farther 
north than Annapolis. Next, there were rumors 
that Maryland, being a slave State, intended to 
secede, and in that case, one of her first steps would 
be an attempt to capture our frigate and the guns 
and munitions of war at the Academy. Our 
authorities at once began to make preparations 
for defense. Old Fort Severn, which stood in 
the Academy grounds, had been used as an ex- 



28 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

ercising battery for the midshipmen, but as it 
was actually valueless for defensive purposes, 
and its guns, if they fell into the enemy's hands, 
could have been turned against the Constitution, 
they were hastily dismounted, taken aboard, and 
added to our battery. When it was reported 
that troops had appeared north of the Severn, 
ammunition was served out, and the midshipmen, 
both afloat and ashore, were stationed to repel 
an attack. There were no marines at the Academy 
at this time, and not more than twenty-five sea- 
men on board the Constitution. Her gun-deck 
ports were closed at night, and Number 1 gun's 
crew told off to guard that deck. The rest of us 
were to fall in on the spar deck, in case of an 
alarm. One of the crews was kept on duty at 
night, and from it the sentries were detailed. I 
remember my first watch was from midnight to 
two A.M., on the bowsprit, where I could see any- 
thing approaching from up the river. 

One of the sentries on shore one night (Mid- 
shipman Benjamin Porter, who was afterwards 
killed at Fort Fisher) discovered a number of men 
on the wharf, just outside the north wall of the 
Academy, making preparations to remove the 



RUMORS OF WAR 29 

ferryboat which was moored there. Having had 
his instructions as a sentry, he ordered them to 
desist, and when they refused to obey, he fired, 
and called for the guard. When the guard ar- 
rived, it was in charge of Lieutenant Hunter Dav- 
idson, and the offenders, who by that time had 
judged it best to submit, expressed their satis- 
faction in having a Secessionist to deal with. 
Davidson, however, promptly warned them to 
expect nothing from him, for although he had 
resigned, he still wore the United States uniform. 

WHien the Union troops were fired upon while 
passing through Baltimore, and the city seemed 
to be completely in the hands of the Secessionists, 
it was evident that we were cut off by land from 
the North and from Washington as well, if the 
report were true about the large force assembled 
at Annapolis Junction. Concern for our own 
position almost disappeared in the greater anxiety 
that was felt for the safety of the Capital. 

Early one Sunday morning in April, we heard 
that a large steamer filled with troops was on her 
way up from the bay, and we soon learned that 
she was the Maryland, diverted from her usual 
employment of taking trains across the mouth 



30 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

of the Susquehanna at Havre de Grace. She 
had on board the 8th Massachusetts Regiment, 
with General Butler in command. At the re- 
quest of Governor Hicks, it was decided not to 
land the troops at once. The Governor, himself 
a Union man, feared that an exhibition of armed 
force just then might cause the State to secede. 
No one realized at that time how strong the Union 
sentiment actually was in Maryland. 

The Academy authorities took advantage of 
the presence of the steamer to change the un- 
favorable position of the Constitution. It for- 
tunately happened that the Massachusetts sol- 
diers were from the eastern part of their State, 
and consequently many of them were seamen. 
With their help, the anchors were soon raised, 
and our frigate, with the Maryland alongside, 
moved slowly out into the bay. Ten of the 
class were kept on board, and they were naturally 
proud of this selection, but the rest of us could 
feel, at least, that in joining the three classes on 
shore, we were going to what was supposed to 
be the post of danger. I have often thought 
since what an anxious time that must have been 
for our superintendent and his officers. If they 



RUMORS OF WAR 31 

had known the real depth of loyalty among the 
people surrounding us, they would have had 
little occasion to feel uneasy, but the Secessionists 
were the ones in evidence, and according to their 
noisy talk, Baltimore was backing them. What 
had we to oppose to a determined attack? We 
numbered less than two hundred in all, and the 
average age of the midshipmen in the four classes 
was eighteen years — the age of admission being 
then fourteen to seventeen inclusive. The low 
brick wall around the Academy grounds was not 
intended for defensive purposes, and had no pro- 
jections from which an attacking party could be 
swept by a fire along its face. 

A couple of days passed slowly, while we were 
in this state of tension, and the sense of relief 
was great, when late in the afternoon of the 
second or third day, a steamer was sighted com- 
ing from the Roads. She hauled in at the wharf, 
and the famous 7th New York marched ashore. 
More troops followed, and it was decided to open 
the road to Washington. The only locomotive at 
the station had been disabled, but the Massa- 
chusetts 8th men were mechanics, as well as 
sailors, and it was soon put in working order. 



32 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

Other regiments arrived; among them the 
71st New York, the 69th Irish, a German regi- 
ment talking their own language, but cheering 
for the flag, and the 1st Rhode Island, under 
Colonel — afterwards General — Burnside. The 
soldiers of the last named wore blouses belted at 
the waist, and had such a businesslike air that the 
Southern boys admitted they did not like their 
looks. Neither had they greatly relished the 
sight of the much-talked-of 7th, which they had 
formerly claimed as their own. 

Of course there could be no school at such a 
time, and we imagined it was done with forever, 
and rejoiced accordingly. We flung our text- 
books from the windows, causing much vexation 
of spirit to the officers of the German regiment, 
which was drilling below, for their men would 
persist in leaving the ranks to pick up the books, 
and then try to drill, holding them under their 
arms. The efforts of one stout private to man- 
age his musket and retain his hold on two cor- 
pulent dictionaries were especially conspicuous. 

It was on one of these idle days that a rumor 
ran the rounds that a steamer which had hauled 
in to the wharf had a passed midshipman on 



RUMORS OF WAR 33 

board. A number of us hurried to the water- 
front to verify this report, and there, sure enough, 
he sat upon the rail, a bit of gold lace upon his 
shoulder, apparently quite oblivious to the gazing 
crowd below. He knew he was a rare bird, and 
expected us to stare at him. The grade was 
soon after abolished, so he was the only one of his 
kind I ever saw. 

Finally came the change which we had all been 
expecting. One morning at roll call, we were 
ordered to be ready to go on board the steamer 
Josephine, which would take us out to the Con- 
stitution. Part of the first class had already been 
detached and gone with the troops to Washing- 
ton, and there were twenty Southerners who had 
resigned and would be left behind when we em- 
barked. They took their usual places in the ranks, 
when we formed to march down to the wharf, 
and the soldiers closed in, front and rear. The 
wharf was crowded, and there was some confu- 
sion, the Southern boys falling out of ranks, and 
saying good-by to their classmates, but when 
the commandant of mishipmen, C. R. P. Rod- 
gers, came down the long line, and paused opposite 
its center, all were hushed, for it had been said 



34 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

he meant to give us a farewell address. Looking 
at the rows of boyish faces turned expectantly 
towards him, and at the flag floating above their 
heads, he raised his arm, and pointing to it, be- 
gan, "Be true to the flag", and then broke down 
completely. I am sure many others were in tears ; 
I know I was. But what affected us the most, 
and amused us as well, was the behavior of the 
soldiers, who broke into the ranks, embracing 
the midshipmen and crying out : *Never mind ! 
You'll soon be coming back, boys ! We'll see 
that you get your school again ! ' To this day I 
remember how thankful I felt that the big soldier 
who was hugging me had not seen me throwing 
my books out of the window. 

As the Josephine shoved off, some one shouted 
to run up a bigger flag than the one she was carry- 
ing. So a large ensign was hoisted, but just as 
it reached the staff, the knot at the lower corner 
gave way, and the flag became nothing but a 
streamer. In trying to lower it, the wind carried 
it so far astern that it could not be reached, and 
we were well down the river before it was finally 
hoisted. If our late classmates felt that this was 
a good omen for their cause, they did not show 



RUMORS OF WAR 35 

any signs of exultation. In fact, the last we saw 
of them, they were a sorrowful looking lot.' 

We found changes on board the Constitution, 
The study rooms had gone, and the guns had 
been shifted from the spar deck. Never did a 
man-of-war sail with such a motley crew ! There 
were midshipmen from all four classes, about 
twenty-five sailors, and two companies of the 8th 
Massachusetts from Marblehead and Salem — if 
I remember rightly — the one in blue uniforms, 
and the other in zouave costumes. I suppose 
these companies were selected because there were 
so many seafaring men among them. I know 
when we got outside the Capes, we found them 
very handy, below and aloft. 

Just before weighing anchor, Dorsey, the col- 
ored steward, who was dear to us all, left the 
ship, quite broken-hearted. The poor fellow, 
who could not foresee that all his race were to 
be made free by the war, felt that the breaking 
up of the Academy meant additional years of 
slavery for him. His master, who we under- 
stood was not well off, had always generously 
permitted a large part of Dorsey's pay to go to- 
wards the purchase of his freedom, but a con- 



36 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

siderable sum was still lacking. After we reached 
Newport, Commodore Blake allowed each of 
us to subscribe a small amount, which was charged 
to our accounts, and this, with what he and the 
other officers gave, enabled Dorsey to rejoin us, 
a free and grateful man. , 

What seemed to afford Dorsey a little comfort 
at parting was the trust reposed in him by Lieu- 
tenant Scott, who handed him a quantity of 
bills and the money to pay them, saying, "Dor- 
sey, we may never meet again, for we can't tell 
what will happen to us or the country. Please, 
when you get ashore, settle these accounts for 
me, and be sure to take receipts, because all people 
can't be trusted like you, Dorsey." 

We started down the Chesapeake, towed by 
the steamer R. R. Cuyler and with the Harriet 
Lane steaming ahead. The latter did not go 
further than the Capes. Off the Jersey coast 
we passed over the ground where the Constitution 
was once so closely pursued by the British fleet 
that she barely escaped by resorting to kedging 
and towing with her boats. 

In later years it has been a source of satis- 
faction to me to remember that I first saw the 



RUMORS OF WAR 37 

open sea from the deck of "Old Ironsides", and 
that I was on board when the last preparations 
were made to defend her from an attack. It 
was from this same anchorage, Annapolis Roads, 
that the Constitution sailed at the beginning of 
another war — the War of 1812 — in which she 
won such renown.^ The voyage she made this 
time was quite uneventful, the only incident I 
can recall being a. sight of the Niagara as we went 
through the Narrows. She and the General Ad- 
miral were the two largest steam frigates in the 
world. We found at the Brooklyn Navy Yard 
two fine vessels of that type, fitting out for the 
blockade — the Wabash and the Roanoke. 

We were a little disposed to regard ourselves, 
on our arrival in New York, in the light of returned 
warriors, and imagining others did the same, en- 
joyed the sensation hugely. But this dream was 
rudely dispelled, and we were intensely chagrined, 
when one of the illustrated papers came out with 
a picture which showed the 8th Massachusetts 
charging across the deck of the Constitution, 



1 One of the references to the Oregon that I most value was that 
made by the Secretary of the Navy, when he spoke of her in an 
official dispatch as the Constitution' ol the modern navy. 



38 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

driving the rebels over the rail, while we — the 
imprisoned midshipmen — peered anxiously up 
through the hatches of the deck below. 

I think we must have received our allowance of 
spending money at this time — the sum of one 
dollar per month — for I remember our hurrying 
in large numbers to the restaurants of lower New 
York, which we invaded like a swarm of hungry 
locusts. The months of wholesome but very plain 
fare at the Academy had given our appetites an 
extra edge. A dollar must have gone far in those 
days, or else people were kind in giving us its 
full value, for even after this raid on the restau- 
rants, we were able to take a ride in the Broad- 
way omnibuses, ending up with a visit to Bar- 
num's Old Museum, which stood at the corner of 
Broadway and Fulton street. Among its other 
attractions it contained a theater, to which we 
at once obtained admission. The principal char- 
acter in the play was a dashing highwayman, who 
rode and robbed in England, long before the 
United States or the Stars and Stripes were ever 
thought of. Historical sequence was not a part 
of this drama, however, for when its exciting situ- 
ations did not seem to stir the audience quite 



RUMORS OF WAR 89 

enough, a pretty actress, wishing to reassure a 
Httle fellow who was fearful about crossing a 
lonely heath, caught up a small American flag, 
and throwing it over his shoulders, cried, "Wear 
this! It will protect you anywhere!" Immedi- 
ately there was an outburst of patriotism. The 
whole audience sprang to its feet, shouted, 
stamped, and cheered. 

Sunday morning some one proposed going to 
hear Henry Ward Beecher, and after much noisy 
argument nearly all of us put our names down 
on the list as applicants for permission to attend 
the services at Plymouth Church. Five or six 
Southern boys, whose resignations had been sent 
in, said they would go with us, because they 
wanted to say when they reached home that they 
had seen "the accursed Abolitionist." Plymouth 
Church had to accommodate such crowds that 
after the pews were filled, seats at their outer 
ends could be turned down, taking up the space 
in the aisles. These seats had been reserved for 
us, so that when Mr. Beecher reached his pulpit, 
he looked down at two lines of youngsters in blue 
jackets with brass buttons, and bright anchors 
on their rolling collars. Whether this addition 



40 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

to his congregation affected his sermon I cannot 
tell. I only know that I was in a state of patri- 
otic ecstasy, wanting to cry one moment, and 
cheer the next. When we left the church, and 
fell into ranks outside, there was an awed silence. 
At last one of the Southerners said in a husky 
voice, "Well, fellows, I'm going South, all the 
same. My people are there, and I still believe 
we are right, but you can bet your life I'll never 
curse that man again!" 

Our shipmates, the soldiers of the 8th Massa- 
chusetts, had left us to rejoin their regiment, 
when we reached the Navy Yard, and the re- 
mainder of the first class were detached while 
we were in New York. On our arrival at our 
destination, Newport, Rhode Island, the second 
class was ordered to active service, and a few 
days later, the third followed. To our great in- 
dignation, we learned that we were to be kept — 
at any rate, until the new appointees were 
broken in. 

At first it was intended to quarter us in Fort 
Adams, and for some months, though we con- 
tinued to live on the Constitution, we did use the 
fort's casemates for recitation rooms, and had our 



RUMORS OF WAR 41 

infantry drill and artillery tactics on its parade 
ground, or just outside near the redoubt. As 
there was no sloop-of-war available for a prac- 
tice cruise then, and there were not men enough 
to man a vessel of the Constitution's class, we re- 
mained that summer in Newport harbor. 

In the meantime, the Government had secured 
the Atlantic House, which fronted on the Old 
Stone Mill park and Bellevue Avenue, and the 
beginning of the academic year found us quartered 
on its second and third floors. Lieutenant Rod- 
gers, now become commandant of midshipmen, 
occupied rooms on the first floor, while some of 
the officers who were our instructors had quarters 
on the second. The Constitution had been warped 
into the inner harbor, and tied up alongside the 
Goat Island wharf. As two midshipmen had 
been appointed from each Congressional district 
for the new fourth class, she had to accommodate 
nearly two hundred. A little later in the autumn, 
the frigate Santee was sent to Newport, turned 
into a schoolship, and was moored just ahead 
of the Constitution, By the next season we had 
as practice and training ships the sloops-of-war, 
John Adams, Marion, and Macedonian, which 



42 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

had been replaced on the blockade by vessels 
having steam power. 

At first we used to drill in an open field a little 
way out on Catherine Street, and later, when the 
Atlantic House was filled with fourth classmen 
from the ships, in a larger field off Bath Road, 
back of the old Ocean House. Much of this 
ground is now covered by fine residences. Sat- 
urday forenoons we sent down spars on the John 
Adams or got the Marion under way, and occa- 
sionally, when she went aground, had to spend our 
precious Saturday afternoons getting her afloat. 
Our great gun drills took place on board ship, and 
our battalion drills on Goat Island. 

This island was always particularly suggestive 
to me of the animal for which it was named, be- 
cause of an allusion once made to it by a class- 
mate. Prince Pierre d'Orleans. He was writing 
an excuse for some alleged misconduct in ranks, 
and began with this truly French construction, 
**As we were marching over to the Island of the 
Goat." 

D'Orleans, or Pete, as we used to call him, was 
a grandson of King Louis-Philippe. His father, 
the Prince de Joinville, wished him to receive a 



RUMORS OF WAR 43 

naval education, and as this was impossible in 
France, during the time of the Second Empire, 
when all the Bourbons were in exile, our Govern- 
ment had given him permission to enter the 
United States Naval Academy. He graduated 
and became an ensign, but resigned soon after- 
wards. The overthrow of the Empire enabled 
him to return to France, only to be banished later 
by a decree of the Republic. 

If d'Orleans felt himself a prince in exile, it 
was never obvious. He neither asked nor ex- 
pected any different treatment from that given 
to the other midshipmen. The only luxuries he 
allowed himself were two great eider-down pil- 
lows, and a very superior quality of chocolate, 
which was sent him from France. We approved 
of the chocolate; he distributed it generously; 
but the pillows, which could not be shared, were 
not looked on with favor. In fact, we felt that 
like Carthage, they "must be destroyed." To 
effect this, the class took a mean advantage of 
Pete's dread of getting demerits. He was very 
desirous of making a good record while at the 
Academy, and followed every regulation to the 
letter. 



44 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

Evening study hours ended at half-past nine, 
and for the ensuing twenty-five minutes the cor- 
ridors of the old Atlantic House swarmed with 
midshipmen skylarking in light attire. At the 
stroke of ten, every one was supposed to be in bed, 
and when five minutes before the hour the drum 
began to roll, Pete was always the first to make a 
break for his room and a dive for his bed. One 
night, while the accustomed frolic was going on, 
two midshipmen entered Pete's room, tucked the 
cherished pillows between the sheets, and cutting 
them open turned them wrong side out. Five 
minutes later, when the drum rolled, and Pete 
made his usual home run, he was followed by 
every member of the class. If he was surprised 
at this attention, he made no comments, but turn- 
ing his back on the crowd, jumped into bed, and 
immediately vanished in a swirling cloud of 
feathers. Even the next day his room was like 
the center of a snowstorm, and for a week after 
the servants found employment in chasing the 
elusive bits of down. 

D'Orleans took the loss of his pillows with 
philosophy. In fact, it is probable he could have 
borne the loss of many another thing more easily 



RUMORS OF WAR 45 

than that of the sense of equality, which enabled 
him to be the victim of such a jest. That he 
heartily enjoyed the feeling of being just a boy 
among other boys was very clearly shown by some- 
thing that occurred later, during our second prac- 
tice cruise. While we were in England, d'Orleans 
was given leave, with permission to rejoin the 
ship at Lisbon, where he was to visit some of 
his royal relatives. On our arrival in that port, 
the King of Portugal, attended by a large retinue, 
came on board, bringing d'Orleans with him. 
Pete broke away from his party as soon as he 
could, and was on his way forward, when he noticed 
a classmate standing near the mainmast, gazing 
at royalty, which was making its way along the 
quarter-deck. As a gentle means of attracting 
his friend's attention, Pete dealt him a vigorous 
kick in the rear, and then fled. There was at 
once a wild pursuit up one gangway and down the 
other. D'Orleans could easily have escaped by 
taking refuge with his party upon the quarter- 
deck, but instead he chose to be caught just 
where the mauling he received could be seen to 
the best advantage by the king and the scandal- 
ized courtiers. 



46 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

The instructors of whom I have the clearest 
recollection during this period at Newport were 
Lieutenants Alfred T. Mahan and E. O. Mat- 
thews. Mahan, whose name has now an inter- 
national reputation as an authority on all mat- 
ters relating to naval strategy and sea power, 
was then distinguished as being the only graduate 
of the Naval Academy who had completed the 
course in three years. This distinction was 
later shared by a number of my date, and by a 
still greater number of the next, who, spurred by 
the hope of an early promotion, also secured their 
certificates at the close of the third academic year. 

Mahan was of a reserved nature, and had a 
manner that was rather apt to make others feel 
that they had better keep their distance. I 
remember my sense of surprise, when I first no- 
ticed that he was inclined to favor me in such 
little ways as an officer could. For instance, on 
the practice cruise, when he was executive officer, 
I was released from all other duties during drill, 
except the very easy one of standing near him, 
and repeating his orders on the gun and berth 
decks. This position of a sort of aide to him 
carried with it certain privileges about shore 



RUMORS OF WAR 47 

leave, which he assumed I was entitled to, and 
these practical evidences of kindly feeling in- 
spired a very genuine attachment on my part. 

Lieutenant Matthews was of a totally differ- 
ent stamp. We midshipmen found him very 
companionable, and his only great fault in our 
estimation was his fatal ability. Languages, 
mathematics, or navigation — all were the same 
to him. If one of the regular instructors hap- 
pened to be absent, there was no hope of missing 
the recitation. "Pat" Matthews not only could, 
but did, take the absentee's place. In spite of his 
intellectual attainments, he was very modest, and 
if he was ever found at a ball, it was usually be- 
hind a group of bashful youngsters, who listened 
with respectful attention and real enjoyment to 
his stories of the service. If we had not seen this 
side of him at Annapolis, we should have thought 
him a terror, when we were on our way up the 
Jersey coast in the Constitution. Indeed, he was 
the only officer I ever knew who actually threat- 
ened us with personal violence. I can see him 
now — he was almost diminutive in stature — 
brandishing a small tin deck trumpet, his thin 
voice raised into what he fancied was a roar. 



48 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

"Haul away now!" he would shrill. "Never 
mind looking aloft there ! I'll do that, and you 
do the rest! If you don't haul, I'll break all 
your heads ! " 

Or on the gun deck, if he chanced to run against 
a crowd of us, it was, "Gangway there! Gang- 
way ! Get out of my way, or I'll knock you all 
down ! " and then as he pushed his way along, 
breathing threatenings and slaughter, we could 
see the back of his neck reddening at our affected 
alarm and only half repressed laughter. 

At recitation he required not only correct but 
prompt answers. Delay, besides affecting the 
value of the mark, was apt to expose us to sar- 
castic comment. 

"Mr. Clark," he asked me one day, "how do 
you take in a mainsail, blowing fresh ? Promptly 
now!" 

"Well, sir, I would man the main-clew garnets 
and buntlines — "a pause. 

"Of course. Go ahead ! Go ahead!" 

"Yes, sir. Then I would slack off a little of 
the sheet, and then, then — I — " 

"No use doing anything more!" he snapped. 
"By this time your mainsail's all blown to pieces !" 




Midshipmen G. T. Davis, F. A. Cook and C. E. Clark, before 
leaving the Academy for Active Service 



RUMORS OF WAR 49 

Such being his style, it may be easily imagined 
that the following episode was much relished by 
those who were in the section room at the time. 
The midshipman who was being questioned on 
this occasion was invited to consider himself 
officer of the deck of a full-rigged frigate like the 
Wabash, while "I," continued Matthews, "am 
her captain. We are walking up and down to- 
gether, and all the officers except ourselves are 
two decks below. We are under all plain sail to 
t'gallant sails, the royals being in, and running 
ten knots before the wind. Now," with a rush, 
"I'm overboard! Quick! W^at'd you do?" 

" Why, I'd set the royals, and try to make eleven 
knots!" was the reply, delivered without a 
moment's hesitation. 

Matthews looked a little nonplussed, but before 
the general laugh subsided, he had recovered 
himself. 

"Capital!" he cried. "Prompt and decisive! 
But now suppose it was your roommate who fell 
overboard ! What would you do then ? " 

My roommates at the Academy during my 
second year on shore were Francis A. Cook and 
George Thornton Davis. We were congenial 



50 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

spirits with much the same ideas as to the relative 
value of study and such pleasure as could be 
found in a much regulated Academy existence. 
Our association may not have been profitable as 
far as our class standing was concerned, but it 
is pleasant to look back upon, and lasted through 
the years. Cook and I were comrades at the 
battle of Santiago, in which it is perhaps super- 
fluous to mention he had command of the flag- 
ship Brooklyn, and received the surrender of the 
Colon. Davis, whose ill health obliged him to 
retire some time before the outbreak of the 
Spanish-American War, yet had the good fortune 
during our Civil War to be in the largest landing 
expedition ever organized by our navy, that is, the 
assault upon Fort Fisher, in which he distinguished 
himself, being the only regular officer to penetrate 
beyond the stockade.^ 

1 See reports of Cushman and Parker, Naval War Records. 



CHAPTER III 

The First Cruise 

We made our first real practice cruise, during 
the summer of 1862, in the sloop-of-war John 
Adams, with Commander Edward Simpson as 
captain. We ran first into Gardiner's Bay, for 
a kind of shake-down, as the saying goes, and 
then sailed for Hampton Roads. There we felt 
that we were really in touch with the war, for 
General McClellan was then making his way up 
the Peninsula, and Fortress Monroe was a base 
of operations. The battle of Fair Oaks had just 
been fought, Norfolk taken possession of, and 
the once formidable Merrimac — after her defeat 
by the Monitor — had been sunk by the Confed- 
erates themselves, before making their retreat. 
We knew that some distance above our anchorage 
lay the wrecks of the Congress and the Cumber- 
land, mute witnesses to the gallantry and endur- 
ance of our navy. The one had been burned to 

51 



52 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

the water's edge, and the other had gone down 
with her flag still flying. Although I had not 
then read Longfellow's beautiful tribute to the 
Cumberland, I knew that the Prince de Joinville 
had said on seeing her mastheads, just showing 
above the surface of the water, "They ought to 
stand forever, a monument over the graves of 
the wooden ships ! " And it seemed to me — 
I was even at that age a great lover of Greek 
history — that the spirits of the heroes who fought 
at "divine Salamis" must have inspired the 
defenders of the last of the "wooden walls." 

To those who like to trace coincidences, the 
careers of two ofiicers of the Cumberland will 
present some interesting features. They were 
Lieutenants Selfridge and Stuyvesant, who 
graduated at the heads of their respective classes 
at the Academy, and were on the gun deck of the 
Cumberland when she went down. Selfridge later 
commanded the Cairo. She was destroyed by a 
torpedo. Then he was sent to the Conestoga, 
and she was sunk by a ram. Stuyvesant became 
executive of the Weehawken, which was blown 
up by a torpedo while lying off Charleston, then 
of the Wateree, wrecked by an earthquake wave 



THE FIRST CRUISE 53 

at Arica. After these experiences, they seemed 
to have exhausted their ill luck, fortunately for 
the service as well as for themselves. 

From Hampton Roads we proceeded to the 
anchorage off Yorktown, where we visited the 
fortifications and siege works, and also saw those 
of the Revolutionary period, and the headquarters 
of General Cornwallis. The field hospitals were 
crowded v/ith the sick and the wounded brought 
back from the front. It was my first sight of the 
real horrors of war, and made a deep impression ; 
the crowded condition of the hospitals, the heat, 
the swarms of flies, and the terrible suffering, 
which there were so few comforts to relieve. If 
war had its glories, here was the reverse of the 
medal. 

From Yorktown we sailed to Port Royal, 
South Carolina, keeping outside the line of 
blockaders. In the Entrance, as the harbor is 
called, we found the old ship of the line Vermont 
and the steam frigate Wabash, the flagship of 
Admiral Dupont, and commanded by his chief- 
of -staff, our former commandant, C. R. P. Rodgers. 

Returning north, the John Adams, a dull 
sailer, had the advantage of the Gulf Stream 



54 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

nearly all the way. We ran up Long Island 
Sound as far as Oyster Bay, which I particularly 
remember as the place where the Great Eastern 

— that first experiment in colossal shipbuilding 

— passed us. We touched at New Haven, where 
we all went in a body to the home of Rear Admiral 
Foote, to pay our respects. He was then on 
leave, recovering from a wound received during 
his service on the Mississippi, where he had so 
greatly distinguished himself. 

After our return to Newport, we were granted 
a month's leave. 

Our second practice cruise — a more extended 
one — was in the corvette Macedonian, in the 
summer of 1863. Our captain was Commander 
Stephen B. Luce, an authority on seamanship, 
as I have already remarked. We ran across the 
North Atlantic, making our first port at Plym- 
outh, England, where we stayed several days. 
D'Orleans' father, the Prince de Joinville, visited 
the ship while we were there. He was a man of 
genial manners, and must have had a well devel- 
oped sense of humor, for I remember his telling 
with considerable unction of an experience of 
Prince Alfred's, then a midshipman on board 



THE FIRST CRUISE 55 

H.M.S. Euryalus. The throne of Greece offered 
to him had been dechned, but his messmates, 
determined the occasion should not pass un- 
marked, constructed a diadem of tallow and slush, 
"and," ended the French prince, rubbing his 
hands gleefully, "they have mount him on a 
table, and have crown him King of Grease !" 

I dare say many things more worthy of recol- 
lection during our stay in Plymouth will be for- 
gotten before the memory of her wonderful 
strawberries and clotted cream. The bumboat 
women brought these dainties off to the ship in 
large quantities and never had any trouble in 
disposing of them. 

From Plymouth we ran up the Channel to Port- 
land, and later we went to Spithead. While at 
Spithead, I was given four or five days' leave to 
visit London, in company with Midshipman 
Nicoll Ludlow and the captain's clerk, Harris. 
Ludlow and I, having only money enough to 
make the trip, could not afford to purchase 
citizen's clothes, and were obliged to wear our 
uniform jackets and caps. We considered this 
quite an affliction, and were the more pleased to 
have Mr. Harris with us, as we felt that his years 



56 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

and frock coat gave an air of dignity to the party. 
We were to find, however, that our brass buttons 
were our best asset, and procured us an entrance 
to places that even a golden key would not have 
unlocked. 

At Morley's Hotel, Trafalgar Square, where 
we took rooms, an elderly Englishman, who 
overheard us in the coffee-room making our plans 
for the day, became interested, and coming over 
to our table, entered into the discussion. Having 
a thorough acquaintance with London, he was 
able to lay out a schedule for us that was of the 
greatest value, and it was largely owing to him 
that we managed to see as much in our four or 
five days as many people do in a month. 

Our little naval delegation had no idea of calling 
at the Legation, but the Secretary came to see us, 
and when we went in return to pay our respects 
to Mr. Adams, the Minister, he gave us cards of 
admission to the House of Commons. This was 
a privilege we had not looked for, but we were 
to be more fortunate still. We were passing 
through one of the corridors of the House of 
Commons, when a young Englishman, whose 
eye had evidently been caught by the American 



THE FIRST CRUISE 57 

uniform, stopped us and introduced himself. 
He told us he was the nephew of a peer — Lord 
Castlereagh, I think it was — and if we wished 
to visit the Gallery of the House of Lords he 
would be glad to get us an invitation. He not 
only did this, but went with us to the Gallery and 
made our visit doubly interesting by pointing 
out the leading statesmen, such as Lords Palmer- 
ston, Russell, and Derby, and others whose names 
I do not now remember. 

Of course we visited Madame Tussaud's Wax 
Works, and one of the relics there which greatly 
excited our interest was Napoleon's traveling 
carriage, captured at Waterloo. While we were 
gazing at it, a custodian invited us to crawl under 
the rope, and enter the coach if we wished. The 
seats were arranged to form a bed on one side, 
when swung about, and I remember wishing 
Will Rogers could me see, as I stretched myself 
out on the cushions where the great conqueror 
used to sleep. 

We had another pleasant experience when we 
went to see Windsor Castle. We climbed the 
Round Tower there with a number of other people, 
and there was a general request for permission 



58 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

to ascend the Square Tower, which rose above it. 
This was refused, but as we were leaving with the 
others, a gentleman of military bearing, whom 
we had heard addressed as Colonel Albert, whis- 
pered to us to wait, and after the rest had gone, 
he would take us up the Square Tower. He said 
we were the first American naval oflScers he had 
seen in uniform at Windsor since the oflBcers of 
the Niagara had been entertained there. This 
was after the laying of the first Atlantic cable 
by that ship and H.M.S. Agamemnon. From 
the top of the tower he pointed out Eton College, 
Runnymede, and the church made so famous 
by Gray's Elegy. His courtesy and kindness 
converted what might have been an ordinary sight- 
seeing expedition into a living and happy memory. 

We had a strong desire to visit the Arsenal at 
Woolwich, but when we went to the War Office 
with our request, the official to whom we applied 
said, "No, you will have to come to-morrow. 
Tuesdays and Thursdays are the only days visitors 
are admitted." 

We told him that this was our last opportunity, 
for our leave was up the next day, and we had to 
return to our ship. 



THE FIRST CRUISE 59 

"Where is your ship?" he asked. 

"At Spithead." 

"Well," said he, after thinking a moment, 
"you'll have to know about these things some 
day, at any rate, so perhaps I had better let you 
go." He made out and signed two cards of 
admission for us, and we thanked him, and hurried 
off, but discovered on examining them, outside, 
that they referred to us as English subjects. We 
returned and told him of the error, and for a 
moment he was in quite a rage with us for having 
been the cause of it. When he finally paused for 
breath, we ventured to remind him that we had 
not taken advantage of his mistake, and then the 
wind veered, and the choleric old gentleman was 
disposed to give us so much credit for our honesty 
that we were quite embarrassed, for we perfectly 
understood that our American uniforms would 
never have passed unquestioned at the Arsenal. 
However, our partisan, as he had now become, 
declared that we should go now if it took a special 
order to the commandant, and he wrote one for 
us. Its presentation caused some little excite- 
ment and consultation among the officials there, 
but when they at last decided to admit us, it 



60 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

was in royal fashion, and the Arsenal was prac- 
tically ours. Several officers were detailed to 
escort us, and we were frankly told that we must 
not attempt any sketches. In fact, that our 
escorts would be held responsible for seeing that 
we did not. Said one, " We are going to fill you 
so full of information, you won't know anything 
about what you have seen," and this was no idle 
boast. They even started the largest of their 
trip hammers for us, to show their enormous power, 
and then cracked filberts beneath them to show 
how delicately they could strike. It would 
have taken a trained head to carry away any 
connected ideas from the amount we saw, and 
it certainly would have been an ungrateful spirit 
that could have taken advantage of the more 
than courteous treatment that we had received 
both at the War Office and Arsenal. 

Naturally, we went to St. Paul's Cathedral, 
and equally of course our first object of interest 
there was the tomb of Nelson in the crypt. It 
pleased us to remark that the "greatest sailor 
since the world began" occupied the place of 
honor, rather than the Iron Duke. W^hen we 
mounted to the cupola to visit the famous Whis- 



THE FIRST CRUISE 61 

pering Gallery, the custodian who accompanied 
us suggested, with a smiling glance at our uni- 
forms, that he could give us an unusual privilege, 
which as we were used to climbing would not be 
likely to turn our heads. He then explained 
that the ball and cross that crowned the dome, 
at a height of four hundred and four feet above 
the floor of the cathedral, were being regilded, 
and if we cared to, he would allow us to climb up 
and touch the cross. It was not in the nature of 
boys to refuse such a chance, but I must confess 
that the experience I had had aloft on the Mace- 
donian had not quite prepared me for what was 
before us. The ex-sailor who was carrying on 
the work, told us that a few weeks previous, 
when the Prince and Princess of Wales were 
married, he had set off fireworks from the cross. 
He then opened a window for us, and with some- 
what cooling ardor, we began to climb by a dan- 
gling rope ladder over the eaves of the cupola, 
which seemed inhospitably trying to crowd us 
off. The ascent of the little ladder leading to 
the top of the cross was straightaway work in 
comparison, and the view of the city spread out 
at our feet was truly impressive, though the 



62 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

thought of the return trip robbed it of some of its 
eharm. 

Years afterwards, when I revisited London 
as a grizzled rear admiral, I was riding about the 
city with my family, on what my little grand- 
daughter called the "roof garden of an omnibus", 
and was doing my best to point out the places 
I had seen as a midshipman. A gentleman 
seated near us kindly undertook to help me, and 
as we drew near Ludgate Hill, he observed, 
"Now you will see St. Paul's." Then, as it 
came in sight, he spoke of the Whispering Gallery, 
and added that if we wished, we could climb 
into the cupola above the dome. 

"Oh, yes!" I said, "but I have been above 
that." 

With a look that said plainly, "You evidently 
do not understand," he pointed again to the 
dome, and remarked, "You can only go as high 
as those windows." 

"But I climbed out of one," I persisted, "and 
went up above the ball," — 

I never got any farther with my explana- 
tion, for at this point he stopped the omni- 
bus and departed, throwing me a glance in which 



THE FIRST CRUISE 63 

incredulity and disgust were about equally 
mingled. 

We ran over to Cherbourg from Spithead, and 
there a number of us were given leave to go to 
Paris. We could not have seen that fair city at 
a more opportune time. Louis Napoleon was 
then in the heyday of his fortunes, the empress 
was remarkable for her beauty, and the court 
and capital were the most brilliant in Europe. 

Our hotel had two names and two entrances. 
The one fronting on the Rue St. Honore bore 
the name of "St. James", while the other, facing 
the Tuileries, called itself the "Hotel de Rivoli", 
thus appealing equally to French and English 
patronage. The French side was most in favor 
with us, because there we had a fine position for 
observing the reviews of troops and whatever 
was going on opposite us at the Tuileries. Our 
uniforms and generally bad French attracted 
some attention as we went about, but there was 
no positive partiality shown us, as in London. 

I had always regarded the French language 
as solely designed to harrow the feelings of mid- 
shipmen and to prevent them from securing a 
good class standing, and I can still remember 



64 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

the vague surprise I felt on coming into contact 
with it as a practicable tongue, and in finding 
that even I could make myself understood occa- 
sionally. This was quite encouraging, but any 
little pride I may have felt soon had a severe fall. 
One day, in a small restaurant on one of the 
boulevards, I fell in with several members of 
the junior class, who were in trouble. Mine 
host had charged them with a chicken, which 
they vowed had never appeared except in the 
bill. They appealed to me to interpret for them, 
and I was so flattered at being retained in the 
case, that I took the matter up at once. The 
more I talked, the wilder became the protests 
and gesticulations of the proprietor. At last an 
Englishman, who had been an amused witness 
of our difficulties, offered to mediate. The story 
goes — though I shall not vouch for the truth of 
it — that the Frenchman had for some time 
contended that he would rather lose the price of 
ten chickens than hear me talk French. 

Of the sight-seeing that we did in Paris, I 
remember best one pleasant afternoon at the 
Invalides, where we all went in a body. At first 
there was a slight hint of frost in the air which 



THE FIRST CRUISE 65 

we could not account for, until it occurred to 
one bright spirit in our party that the old Na- 
poleonic veterans who acted as doorkeepers and 
guides, and seemed to be the molders of public 
opinion, supposed that we were Enghshmen. 
When this misunderstanding was cleared up, 
there was a decided reaction in our favor. One 
of the repentant veterans even insisted on taking 
us to the Governor's office and presenting us 
to him. In the course of a conversation, pursued 
with some difficulty I must admit, one of our 
number happened to remark that although 
Americans, we came from an English ship; one 
that had been captured by the American frigate 
United States, during the War of 1812.^ The old 
Governor immediately became enthusiastic, and 
was not satisfied until he had heard and recorded 
in a journal all we could tell him about the battle 
between the United States and the Macedonian. 
He himself went with us to the tomb of Napoleon, 

1 Thirty-eight years later, the gifted Doctor S. Weir Mitchell gave 
me a sheave-shaped box, with gold engraved plate, which bore the 
name Macedonian, saying he valued it greatly, and therefore took the 
more pleasure in presenting it to me. It had been given him sixty 
years before by Commodore Biddle, and was made of a splinter torn 
from the side of the Macedonian during the battle in which she was 
captured. 



66 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

which was of course the main object of our visit, 
and pointing out an English flag that hung among 
the captured trophies, gave "perfidious Albion" 
such a broadside of invective, that it was evident 
Inkerman and Sebastopol had not sufficed to 
make him forget Waterloo. 

It was somehow borne in upon us that the 
veterans were not loath to accept our franc pieces, 
and when it came to a survivor of the Old Guard, 
we felt we could not well offer him less than a 
crown. I suppose every old fellow turned seventy 
was run in on us, as a veteran of Austerlitz, 
Borodino, or Dresden. I do not remember 
hearing of any from Waterloo or Leipsic, however. 

This tribute to valor caused a financial deficit 
in our party and necessitated the floating of a 
loan. Two or three of the midshipmen, whose 
parents were known to Mr. Dayton, the American 
Minister, and to some of the Paris bankers, con- 
trived to raise several hundred dollars, which 
were used as a common fund. This enabled us 
to remain some days longer in Paris, and also 
got us into trouble with our captain. When we 
obtained our leave, he had advised us to buy 
return tickets, and then stay as long as our money 



THE FIRST CRUISE 67 

lasted, as some of us perhaps would never have a 
chance to see Paris again. He thought he knew 
the state of our finances, but with this additional 
fund we managed to outstay him by a couple of 
days, and when we did return to the ship, our 
reception was not altogether pleasant. When 
we recalled his suggestions, he said we knew per- 
fectly well what he meant, but to avoid further 
misunderstandings, he would keep us on board 
ship for the rest of the cruise. So my impressions 
of Cadiz and Lisbon, where we afterwards touched, 
were limited to what I could observe from the 
deck of the Macedonian. 

While in Paris, we had seen several Confederate 
officers, who were either on leave from one of 
their cruisers, or had crossed the Atlantic in 
blockade runners, and were ready to join anything 
that might be fitting out. We recognized two 
or three 6f our former classmates among them 
and would gladly have renewed acquaintance, 
but their senior officer and our captain objected 
to our associating in any way. Rumor had it 
that the Confederate cruiser Florida had arrived 
at Brest, and as it was well known that the French 
harbors were much in use for the refitting of 



68 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

Southern men-of-war, it was natural that Captain 
Luce in such a neighborhood should feel it neces- 
sary to take every precaution. We realized this, 
even while we felt it a trifle hard that we were not 
allowed to speak to our old comrades. 

As it turned out, neither the Florida nor Ala- 
bama was in European waters at that time, but 
their possible presence caused a great deal of 
speculation among the midshipmen, as to the 
results should one or both of them attack us 
during a calm, when their steam power would 
enable them to take an advantageous position. 
The Macedonian had eight 64 -pounders and four 
32-pounders on her gun deck and two 100- 
pounder rifled pivot guns on her spar deck. One 
of these last could be fired right ahead, and the 
other astern, while two of the 64s could be shifted 
forward to the bridle ports and two or three to the 
stern cabin ports. So we felt we could put up 
a stiff fight, even if the wind failed us. We had 
fine officers, and Captain Luce could handle the 
Macedonian like a yacht. Though probably 
better informed than we of the whereabouts of 
the enemy's ships, he must have done a little 
speculating too, for immediately after leaving 



THE FIRST CRUISE 69 

Cherbourg, he had the royal poles cut off, and 
some other changes made to give the ship as 
much the appearance of an English one as possi- 
ble. If I recollect rightly, we also ran up Eng- 
lish colors on one or two occasions. Thus dis- 
guised, we might reasonably hope to lure an 
enemy near enough to pour in one or two effective 
broadsides at the start. 

Late one afternoon, near Cape Finisterre, a 
steamer with braced-up yards overhauled us 
slowly, coming up astern. The captain may 
have had his suspicions of her, or he may have 
wished to startle us a little — he had a great 
liking for practical jokes. At any rate, he chose 
about the time when she might be reckoned on 
to overtake us, to exercise us at clearing ship for 
action, and going to night quarters. 

After visiting the ports of Lisbon and Cadiz, 
we ran over to Funchal, Madeira. There, as a 
party of the unquarantined were leaving the 
ship, Lieutenant Mahan, seeing me standing 
near the rail, said with a friendly nod, "Don't 
forget to be back by sunset," and as I could not 
logically return without having gone, I waited 
for no further encouragement, but joyfully joined 



70 MY FIFTY YEAKS IN THE NAVY 

the others, and had a fine coast in one of the 
famous sledges of Madeira to add to my experi- 
ences. 

From Funchal, we steered about southwest, 
until we struck the trades, and then for days we 
ran with all sail set, scarcely touching a brace. 
A storm and thick weather came on, as we neared 
Sandy Hook — or what we supposed to be Sandy 
Hook, for we had not been able to take observa- 
tions for some days — and we ran to the east- 
ward. I did not know — and probably no one 
else did — how far we were from the land, but 
as the gale was from the south. Long Island was 
a lee shore. It was our first experience in carry- 
ing sail to escape to windward, and we found 
it a very thrilling one. We were under reefed 
topsails, and once, when the ship laid over so far 
it seemed to us a question if she could right, 
Mahan, the first lieutenant, was about to slack 
the lee-topsail sheets, but Captain Luce, who 
must have known what she could do, and did not 
want to lose an inch of sea room, told him to hold 
on, and the good ship justified his belief in her. 

We did not remain long in New York and when 
we left there for Newport, we were towed into 



THE FIRST CRUISE 71 

Long Island Sound by the steamer Freeborn. 
As a dead calm fell with night, she kept on with 
us. We were proceeding smoothly, when all at 
once the silence was broken by a startling crash. 
A tall mast appeared out of the darkness, and 
stood for an instant, outlined against our cathead, 
and braced-up fore and fore-topsail yards. Then 
a sloop, her men struggling under the sail and 
falling hamper, scraped along our side, severing 
the Freeborn's tow ropes and cutting her clear. 
We rescued the crew of the sloop before she 
sank; and her captain, when asked why he was 
drifting about in that fashion, with neither lights 
nor lookouts, answered that he had seen the 
Sound boats go past, and supposing there would 
be no more steamers that night, had lashed the 
helm over, and one and all had gone to sleep. 

We worked the Macedonian into the harbor 
of Newport during the midwatch, tacking re- 
peatedly; everybody stood with the gear led 
out, ready to raise the clews and swing the yards, 
whenever the lookout on the jib boom end sighted 
the beach, and shouted "Hard a-lee !" 

In spite of being dog-tired, we all felt a thorough 
sense of enjoyment of such a performance in 



72 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

seamanship. It was virtually the last experience 
of our academic careers, for our detachments 
sent by the Department were waiting for us on 
shore. 

The new commandant of midshipmen, from 
whom we received our detachments, was Com- 
mander D. M. Fairfax. He was a Virginian, and 
it was said, when Virginia seceded, he remarked 
despondently to this wife, "Well, the State to 
which we both belong has gone out of the Union.' 
She answered with spirit, taking both his hands in 
hers — "Donald McNeil Fairfax, we don't belong 
to any State ! You belong to the whole country, 
and I belong to you." 

Fairfax was the officer sent by Wilkes on board 
the Trent to take off the commissioners. Mason 
and Slidell, and transfer them to the San Jacinto. 
They were still on board the San Jacinto when she 
came into the outer harbor of Newport for coal 
in November, 1861, a fact in which we would 
have been much more interested if we had known 
at that time of the bitter feeling that would 
prevail, when England demanded their release a 
little later. 



CHAPTER IV 

On Board the Ossipee 

After a short leave of absence, spent at home, 
orders came for me to report to the commandant 
of the Philadelphia Navy Yard for passage in 
the supply steamer Bermuda, and on her arrival 
at New Orleans to report for duty on board 
the U.S.S. Ossipee, Western Gulf Blockading 
Squadron. 

I found the Bermuda taking in stores. She 
had only three or four staterooms, and as already 
about twenty officers, including eight or nine of 
my class, had reported, her condition was not 
such as to induce us to take up our quarters on 
board until we were obliged to. We were tem- 
porarily in funds, having just drawn our advances, 
so we lived in luxury at the Continental Hotel, 
up-town. 

Officers, when they joined a ship, were allowed 
to draw three months' pay, and could continue 

73 



74 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

to draw what was due them, until the day of 
sailing, when the working out of the indebtedness 
began. This advance was very welcome to most 
of us, for we had just been promoted to the rank 
of acting ensigns, and new uniforms, swords, 
storm clothes, and numberless small articles had 
to be bought. The amount of money in hand 
— three hundred dollars — might have seemed 
more dazzling had we not known that recruits 
at that time often received bounties of a thousand 
dollars and more, to induce them to enlist. 

I had pulled out a roll of greenbacks to pay a 
bill one day, when a classmate, just arrived, 
said wonderingly, "How did you come by that 
wad of money ?" 

"Drew it at the Navy Pay Office," I answered. 

Learning that he could do the same by simply 
showing his orders, he demanded to be led at 
once to the El Dorado. His outfit had been 
provided by his father, and future needs did not 
concern him much. Life might be brief where 
we were going, so let it be a gay one, while the 
money lasted. He constituted himself paymaster 
for our party, and I was especially favored, as 
the one to whom he was mainly indebted for 



ON BOARD THE OSSIPEE 75 

the bonanza. Afterwards, when our accounts 
were taken up on board ship, and there was some 
trouble in meeting the demands for mess and 
entrance fees, young Lord Bountiful announced 
that he would meet all obligations. He had not 
drawn any pay since leaving the Academy, and 
therefore must have over one hundred dollars 
due him. This statement caused a sensation, 
for we all supposed he must know he had over- 
drawn his account. Before we had time to 
enlighten him, the paymaster bounced out of 
his room, excitedly waving a paper. 

"See here!" he shouted, "you say you have 
a hundred dollars due you ? Why, man alive ! 
You're two hundred in debt!'' 

"In debt!" echoed our Croesus. "How can 
that be?" 

"Well, here's the endorsement right on your 
orders that you were paid three hundred dollars 
at the Philadelphia Pay Qjffice." 

"Was that my pay? Thunder and lightning! 
I thought that was bounty!" 

Our trip south in the Bermuda was chiefly 
remarkable for its extreme discomfort, as we 
were packed into her about as tightly as sardines. 



76 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

I had my first sight of a Confederate flag just 
after leaving Pensacola, Florida, which was then 
in our possession. We had the town under our 
guns, held the Navy Yard, six miles away, and 
also the forts at the harbor entrance. The flag 
I speak of was flying from a small sloop, mount- 
ing a fieldpiece, or swivelgun, and captained by 
a sort of water guerrilla, named Duke. Three 
schooners loaded with coal, probably for the Navy 
Yard, had run rather close in shore to the west- 
ward, and Duke, noting this fact from his lurking 
place in the Perdido River, had slipped out, 
captured one of them, and was just boarding 
another, when we came upon the scene. We 
carried a very convincing argument in the shape 
of a nine-inch pivot gun, which adjusted matters 
in short order. The schooner was recaptured, 
and the sloop taken a few minutes later. 

On reaching New Orleans, I reported to Com- 
modore H. H. Bell, and was ordered to continue 
down the coast in the Bermuda. 

We found the Ossipee lying off Galveston, 
Texas, and I joined her late in the afternoon, 
the day before Thanksgiving. The Bermuda 
had brought fresh beef, potatoes, onions, and ice, 



ON BOARD THE OSSIPEE 77 

to be issued in place of the salt beef or pork ration, 
and as I came off with the first boat-load I had 
a hearty welcome. 

The Ossipee was one of the lately constructed,, 
bark-rigged, screw sloops. She was supposed 
to be high-powered, though I never knew her 
to make more than eleven knots under full pres- 
sure of steam, and with topsails, topgallant sails, 
and foresail set. She carried three pivot guns 
(an eleven-inch, a 100-pounder rifle, and a 30- 
pounder rifle) and eight broadside guns (six 
32-pounders and two rifled 30-pounders). We 
thus had seven guns in broadside, and later, 
during the passing of Fort Morgan, with our 
starboard battery engaged, we fought nine guns, 
having shifted two over from the port battery. 

The Ossipee's captain was John P. Gillis, who 
while in command of the Monticello and the 
Seminole had acquired the title of "Fighting 
Gillis." The executive officer was Lieutenant 
John A. Howell, who graduated at the head of 
the class of '54, was the inventor of the Howell 
torpedo, and afterwards, as a rear admiral, com- 
manded the squadron off Matanzas and Havana 
during the Spanish War. He and the captain 



78 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY] 

were the only regular line officers attached to the 
ship, until W. A. Van Vleck — a classmate of 
mine — and I joined her. The others were vol- 
unteer officers appointed from the merchant 
marine, but with two years' experience in the 
navy to their credit. The chief engineer, indeed, 
had once been in the regular service, though at 
this time he held merely an acting appointment. 
He used to say he had inaugurated two wars, for 
he was at Point Isabel, within sound of the guns 
of Palo Alto, at the beginning of the Mexican 
War, and was on board the Pocahontas off 
Charleston when Fort Sumter was attacked. 

He rather enjoyed telling of a command he had 
once had. It was a steam dispatch boat, or 
tender, which boasted an armament of two small 
brass guns, mounted on mahogany carriages. 
These guns, carefully tended and kept in the 
highest state of polish, had had names conferred 
on them, and were known as George Washington 
and Thomas Jefferson. Their muzzles had never 
been acquainted with the taste of powder, however, 
until one Fourth of July it was decided to fire a 
twenty-one gun salute. At the first discharge, 
George Washington recoiled unexpectedly, and 



ON BOARD THE OSSIPEE 79 

laying a determined course for the main hatch, 
ploughed over the coaming and disappeared. 
This was disconcerting, but orders were given 
to proceed. Thomas Jefferson, not to be out- 
done, joined George Washington in the hold, 
and the salute ended with two guns. 

Another of the Chief's experiences, which he 
did not relate himself, happened while the ship 
was in New Orleans. The occasion was a dinner 
given by the wardroom officers to the captain, 
and as the latter was known to have a liking 
for a particular brand of port, the Chief went 
ashore to order a case. Rumor did say that the 
Chief, in his youth, had had a thorough and 
practical knowledge of all sorts and conditions 
of wine, and though for years his potations had 
been very moderate, it is always hard to live 
down an established reputation. He ordered 
the case of port and then, reflecting there might 
be some delay in sending it off, decided to take a 
couple of bottles with him, that the captain 
might run no chance of missing his favorite 
beverage. On reaching the levee, where there 
was the usual tangled mass of Mississippi steam- 
boats, he climbed to the upper deck of one of them. 



80 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

and began waving to the Ossipee to send in a boat. 
He was so absorbed that he did not notice the 
steamer had cast off her moorings and backed 
into the stream. When this did dawn upon him, 
he made a break for the bridge, which at once 
became the scene of a heated interview between 
him and the captain. The latter, however, 
finally agreed that he would try to hold his ship 
in the current until the Ossipee could send off a 
boat for his unwilling passenger. The officer 
who was pacing the Ossipee's deck noticed the 
approaching steamer, and a handkerchief in 
energetic motion at her rail. He looked through 
his glasses, recognized a friend, and though some- 
what surprised, pulled out his own handkerchief 
and returned the salute. As he made no further 
move, the Chief, to make matters clearer by 
recalling his mission, caught up the two bottles 
of port and waved them frantically. All was now 
understood. The officer-of-the-deck ran to the 
wardroom skylight, and thrusting down his head, 
shouted to those below, "Hurry up on deck, 
you fellows ! Here's the old Chief off on the worst 
tear yet ! He's hired a whole steamboat, and he's 
capering round the deck with a bottle in each 



ON BOARD THE OSSIPEE 81 

hand, just whooping it up! Hurry, or you'll 
miss it!" 

They hurried, and feeling that the poor old 
Chief had at last irretrievably committed himself, 
there was a faint cheer, and much shaking of heads, 
when in final desperation he was seen to smash 
the bottles on deck, and tear wildly at his hair. 
He landed at a point some distance above the 
city, and got back to the ship, footsore and weary, 
to find the dinner over, and his character in sad 
need of rehabilitation. 

Another of the volunteer officers in the fleet 
off Galveston, whom I recall very distinctly, 
was Acting Lieutenant Commander Bem. He 
was said to be a Hungarian, but I rather cherished 
the idea that he might be a Pole, and so possi- 
bly a relative of the illustrious General Bem,^ 

1 TVTien, as a small boy, I used to read rejoicingly of General Bern's 
escape from the Austrians, I was equally interested in the marvellous 
exploits of General Gorgey, and often wondered if people were right in 
their condemnation of his final surrender to the combined forces of 
the Austrians and Russians. In 1906, happening to say before a 
member of the Hungarian Parliament that I considered Gorgey's 
surrender entirely justifiable, owing to the hopelessness of further 
resistance in an open country, and against overpowering numbers, I 
was surprised indeed when he asked me if I would write a letter to 
General Gorgey, repeating what I had said. It seemed almost incred- 
ible that Gorgey, who led the Hungarians to>ictory nearly sixty years 
before, was still alive. 



82 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

whose great services to Hungary had made many 
forget the fact that he was Polish by birth. I was 
so fond of my fancy that I never asked Lieutenant 
Commander Bem whether he was related to the 
General. I was afraid he might say he wasn't. 

Bem did not have the apearance of belonging 
to a family of heroes. He was so fat as to be 
almost unwieldy, and neither spoke our language 
fluently, nor understood it very well. We were 
told that one day, when his ship — a side- wheeler 
— was pushing up a narrow river in North Caro- 
lina, a sailor, putting his head into one of the 
paddle boxes, which made his voice seem to come 
from the opposite river bank, began to shout, 
in the most pitiful fashion, *'Save me! Oh, save 
me! the Rebs are after me!" 

Bem was instantly alert. "Yes, stop her!" 
he cried. "Lower ter boat to once quick, undt 
safe dot refugee!" 

"Yes, hurry! Oh, hurry!" came the call from 
the bank. "Hurry, you chaw-mouthed, thick- 
waisted, Hungarian son of a sea cook!" 

"Yes, mine cracious!" yelled the now madly 
excited Bem. "Hurry up! It iss sompoddy 
vot knows me!" 



ON BOARD THE OSSIPEE 83 

Captain Gillis was the officer next in rank to 
Farragut and Bell, although there were four or 
five ships in the fleet larger than the Ossipee. 
He was in command of everything west of the 
Mississippi, so we did not spend all our time at 
the Galveston station, although we did remain 
there once for a stretch of one hundred days, 
heading to the southwest current and rolling 
in the sea from the southeast, except when a 
norther came to our relief. 

One trip we made was down the coast as far 
as the mouth of the Rio Grande, where a large 
number of English steamers were loading with 
cotton which had been carried across the river 
from Texas into Mexico; but as they kept well 
to the southward of the river's mouth and within 
three miles of the Mexican coast, we, of course, 
could not touch them. 

Another time, on our way to Pensacola, we ran 
in to communicate with the senior officer off 
Mobile, Captain Jenkins of the Richmond. As 
this was at night, we had our distinguishing lights 
showing, burnt our signal number, and could see 
the vessels to the eastward repeating our flag 
number to the Richmond. In spite of all this, 



84 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

Captain Jenkins was determined that we should 
anchor until daylight. He excused himself after- 
ward for this extreme caution by citing the case 
of Captain Preble, who had been dismissed for 
allowing the Confederate steamer Oreto to come 
close up to the line, and then run by. A blank 
cartridge was first fired in our direction, then a 
solid shot, and finally there was the threat of a 
broadside. Captain Gillis was furious, but could 
only comply with the signal to anchor, solacing 
himself with the retaliatory message, *'Save your 
shot and shell for your enemies, and not for your 
friends, who you know cannot fire back." 

Captain Jenkins came on board promptly the 
next morning, and I rather expected to see the 
fur fly, but the two captains went aft to the cabin 
quietly enough, where they may have had it out 
with each other, or else decided to bury the hatchet. 

Galveston had been a name long associated 
in the minds of officers and men with defeat and 
disaster. Of our two vessels, the Harriet Lane 
and the Westfield, one was captured, and the other 
destroyed in its harbor, and their captains, Wain- 
wright and Renshaw, and executive officers, 
Lea and Zimmerman, had all been killed. Just 



ON BOARD THE OSSIPEE 85 

outside the Hatteras had been sunk by the Con- 
federate cruiser Alabama. Even the brilliant 
capture of the armed Confederate yacht, General 
Rusk, so heroically conducted by Lieutenant 
James E. Jouett, ended ineffectively, for the 
fires he lighted to destroy her were afterwards 
extinguished by the Confederates. 

A few days before we left Galveston for New 
Orleans, we saw the blockade broken in broad 
daylight by a sailing vessel. The weather was 
slightly hazy, and as she had kept close to the 
land, she was nearly up to the South Battery 
before being discovered. Her captain, certainly 
a man of superb courage, had taken desperate 
chances, and was rewarded by success. We 
had five or six ships, and all ran in promptly, 
opening fire upon him. He kept close to the 
breakers, and in such shoal water that an attempt 
to ram him would have meant the loss of an armed 
vessel. The South Battery, Fort Magruder, 
and the Pelican Spit batteries opened on us, 
to cover him as much as possible, but I do not 
think our shots could have troubled him greatly. 
They were almost bound to be inaccurate, for 
the ships were rolling deeply in the trough of a 



86 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

heavy sea, running from the southeast. I was 
at the forecastle pivot gun at this time, and one 
of the training levers coming adrift, I nearly went 
overboard with it, in a violent roll of the ship. 
I had no idea until then that guns could be fought 
in such a seaway. 

Soon after this Captain Gillis was detached, 
and Captain William M. Walker took his place. 
This officer had found there was quite a comfort- 
able revenue to be derived from the capture of 
blockade runners, and kept a sharp watch for them. 
One day, off Mobile, he went a step further and 
laid a plan to lure them out. He sent nearly 
all the ships under his command off in column to 
the southwest, hoping to persuade the enemy 
that an attack was to be made upon some Texan 
port, and that the coast would be comparatively 
clear for the cotton steamers, waiting behind 
Fort Morgan. It was planned, however, that 
our ships should turn as soon as they were below 
the horizon, and take their stations on two con- 
centric arcs, so that any steamer running out 
would be seen about daylight. 

Admiral Farragut was in Pensacola with both 
the Hartford and Richmond, and when word came 



ON BOAED THE OSSIPEE 87 

to him of this manoeuvre he was in a fever of 
apprehension lest the Confederate gunboats in- 
side Mobile harbor should take advantage of the 
absence of so many of our vessels to overpower, 
or drive away, the few that were left on the block- 
ade. This would mean that it was legally raised 
and could not be reestablished until after sixty 
days. Farragut's flagship, the Hartford, was 
rushed away from the Pensacola Yard, where 
she was undergoing slight repairs, and the Itasca, 
commanded by Captain Brown, was sent out 
to order the offending cruisers to return to their 
stations. Rear Admiral Chester, then an. ensign 
on the Richmond, says in his interesting account 
of this incident, that at Brown's suggestion the 
Admiral had a few tons of soft coal tumbled on 
board the Itasca, and she went off, sending up a 
column of black smoke. As the blockade runners, 
unable to obtain anthracite, always used soft 
coal, black smoke was what our ships made for, 
whenever it was sighted. Conseqently, it was 
only a matter of a few hours before Brown had all 
of Walker's ships corralled. 

Captain Walker was at once sent for, to go on 
board the flagship, where he must have passed 



88 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

a very bad half hour. If the Admiral did not 
relieve him at once, I have no doubt that it was 
only because there was no other oflScer then avail- 
able. That was his last performance at sea, 
and I never heard of his employment on any duty 
again. When he returned from the Hartford, 
he was in a towering rage, and vented his wrath 
on Mr. Howell, the executive officer, for some 
neglect of duty, actually mine, but for which 
the executive was at least partially responsible. 
Howell, as soon as the captain disappeared, 
naturally fell upon me, but I was not disposed to 
accept the entire blame, and fortunately I had 
heard him refer some point in the matter to the 
chief engineer, merely to make sure of his ground, 
I suppose. So when he began some sarcastic 
remarks about my recent Naval Academy knowl- 
edge, I answered that not only did it fail to shed 
light on that particular point, but that I also 
had not had the advantage of instruction by the 
chief engineer. Howell looked at me for a moment 
as if he would enjoy licking me more than any- 
thing else in the world, but he was broad-minded, 
as well as broad-shouldered, and the matter ended 
there between us. This was not the end of my 



ON BOARD THE OSSIPEE 89 

troubles, however, in connection with Captain 
Walker's strategic operations. 

The Ossipee was for some time out of favor 
with the Admiral. He regarded — or affected 
to — every one on board her as members of a 
trust attempting to control the output of cotton. 
Having been sent over to the Hartford one day, 
with a requisition, I was told to go to the cabin, 
where Captain Drayton and Flag Lieutenant 
John C. Watson began to question me about 
the articles required. It was a little difficult 
for me to keep my mind on the business in hand, 
I was so interested in watching the Admiral, 
who was seated at his desk farther aft. I had 
never before had as close a view of this man, 
whom the London Times had spoken of as "the 
doughty Admiral, whose deeds in war had placed 
him at the head of the nautical profession upon 
the earth." So it was not surprising that I, 
who was not then of age, and expected soon to 
follow him into battle, should have been gazing 
at his strong, yet kindly face with admiration 
and affection. All at once he glanced in my 
direction, and broke in with, "Brass plate, eh? 
What's that for?" 



90 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

"To cover the socket of the after eleven-inch 
pivot, sir," I explained, greatly pleased that he 
had spoken to me. 

"There's nothing in the Ordnance Manual 
providing for that," he remarked. 

"No, sir, but you see, on board the Ossipee — 

"What?" he interrupted, "so that's where 
you come from, is it ? There's a great deal too 
much brass already on board that Ossipee, young 
man!" 

He ended his speech with a threatening gesture 
and a wave of his hand, as if to clear me out. 
Somehow, he did not look exactly dangerous, 
and I had to account to my own captain for the 
success of my mission, so I persisted. "But, 
Admiral, you see, Captain Walker — " The 
mention of that name finished my case. I sud- 
denly found myself making for the companion- 
way, hastened by the knowledge that my ears 
were to be cut off, pulled, or in some way sacri- 
ficed. This was the only marked attention I 
ever received from the great Admiral. Probably 
he only meant to let our captain understand that 
any request coming from him would be summarily 
dealt with. At any rate, when Commander 



ON BOARD THE OSSIPEE 91 

William E. LeRoy relieved Captain Walker a 
few days later, the ban was removed. 

I once heard a speaker at a banquet in Phila- 
delphia refer to me as one of Farragut's eaglets, 
and was inwardly amused as I reflected that I 
might at least lay claim to having been pushed 
from the nest of the parent bird. 

LeRoy, who was afterwards Admiral Farragut's 
chief-of-staff during his European cruise, was 
a perfect example of a gentleman of the old school. 
Once, when he was about to ram an enemy's ship, 
an oflScer remarked to another, standing near him, 
"There goes Lord Chesterfield at the Reb. I'll 
wager he's getting ready to apologize now for 
being obliged to hit him so hard." 

The term Lord Chesterfield could only be ap- 
plied to LeRoy's deportment, for his disposition 
in no way resembled that cold diplomat's. I 
remember once, when he saw an inferior contemp- 
tuously treated, hearing him say, with a fine scorn, 
"Sir, in my opinion, a gentleman is one who is 
a gentleman to everybody." 

In spite of this broad view of good breeding, 
LeRoy was quite a stickler for convention, and 
his feeling in this respect was often severely 



92 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

tried by the bearing of a good-natured but poorly 
trained servant whom he found in the position 
of cabin boy, when he took command of our ship. 

"Do you know," he would say, appealing to 
the general sympathy, "that worthless fellow 
Tripp will drive me distracted. Why, I can't 
thank him when he helps me to put on my coat, 
or hands me a glass of water, but he strikes an 
attitude and says, *You are entirely welcome. 
Captain LeRoy.' " 

The climax came when Tripp, who was to be 
sent north for discharge, asked for a letter of 
recommendation. The captain was genuinely 
perturbed. "Good heavens!" said he. "Sup- 
pose I give him a letter such as he wants, what 
is his employer going to think of mef' 

When the detachment to which Tripp belonged 
was mustered, before leaving the ship, LeRoy 
came on deck, nervously handling an envelope. 
As he motioned Tripp to his side, some one near 
me was heard to observe that "the skipper must 
be putting up a job on Tripp, to judge from his 
guilty expression." 

"Tripp," began the captain, "you asked me 
for a letter, and I am giving you this. I have 



ON BOARD THE OSSIPEE 93 

done the best I can for you, but remember, you 
must not open it until you reach New York." 

A few weeks later, the captain's steward re- 
ceived a letter from Tripp, in which he said that 
there was no recommendation in that envelope, 
but he did find a fifty-dollar bill. It must be 
added here that LeRoy had little beside his salary. 

Among other mannerisms, our captain had a 
bow that was so very low and sweeping, it was 
suspected he took much secret satisfaction in it. 
The deepest one I ever saw him make, however, 
I am sure gave me more pleasure than it did him. 
We were at quarters, one day, firing at a stranded 
blockade runner in order to prevent the enemy 
from landing her cargo. Suddenly, from a bat- 
tery on shore, came the screech of a projectile. 
It came as if it meant business and was evidently 
headed straight for me. I instantly doubled up 
like a jackknife, and just as quickly came the 
feeling of anger and shame at the exhibition I 
must be making before all hands, from my ele- 
vated position on the forecastle. As I straightened 
up, I stole a covert glance aft, to see if the cap- 
tain had by any chance failed to observe me. 
To my enormous relief, I saw he too was slowly 



94 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

getting back to the perpendicular, and I heard 
him say to the executive officer, "By Jove, Howell ! 
that was an awfully close shave ! That confounded 
thing only went about a foot clear of our heads." 

I had no mind to question the captain's claim, 
but the words were hardly out of his mouth, 
when a wild Irishman stationed in the gangway 
midway between us shouted, "Begorry, b'ys, 
I cud have caught thot in me hat!" 

The fate of the vessel we were firing at was 
settled a night or two later by Flag Lieutenant 
Watson, who boarded and practically destroyed 
her, setting fire to everything that the enemy 
might use. There was no force to oppose him, so 
the conflict he was prepared for did not take place.^ 

1 John C. Watson was Farragut's personal aide and was with him 
in all his battles. He was the oflBcer who threw a line about the 
Admiral, when he sprang over the rail and outside the mizzen rigging 
just as the Hartford struck the Tennessee, at that moment so well 
shown in the painting, "An August Morning with Farragut." 

It was the second time during the battle that the Admiral's activity 
and absolute fearlessness had caused this precaution to be taken. 
On the first occasion, it was Quartermaster Knowles who at Captain 
Drayton's suggestion followed Farragut up the main rigging, which 
he climbed almost to the top, in order to be able to see above the 
smoke. Though protesting at first, he finally allowed Knowles to 
lash him to the rigging, when it was pointed out to him that a wound 
not necessarily fatal might yet be enough to make him lose his footing 
and fall overboard. This is mentioned here, because the two incidents 
have occasioned some confusion, and a good deal of discussion as to 
who really lashed Farragut to the rigging at Mobile, 



CHAPTER V 

With Farragut at Mobile 

It was the morning of August fifth when we 
fell into line to pass the forts and attack the 
Confederate fleet at the entrance of Mobile Bay. 
The Admiral had inspected our ship a few days 
before. He had shown particular anxiety to have 
the guns trained as far forward as possible, and 
when the eleven-inch pivot gun had been trained 
forward until it was almost against the side of 
the port, he was still not quite satisfied, and in 
his impetuous fashion, again called, ''Haul 
away !" 

"But if it's fired in that position, it's liable to 
blow away the main chains, Admiral," objected 
the oflScer in command. 

"Well, blow them away, then! Any way to 
get a shot in first thing ! " 

The eleven-inch pivot did not belong in my 
division, but I overheard this remark of the Ad-i 

95 



96 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

miral's because, with a desire to keep as near him 
as possible, I had joined the httle group of officers 
following him about the ship. A look of recog- 
nition in his eye as it happened to glance in my 
direction almost tempted me to say, '* That gun 
would have trained easier. Admiral, if you had 
allowed us the brass plate for the socket," but the 
captain and executive were both standing near, 
and I did not have the courage. 

In my own division I had four guns — the fore- 
castle pivot, two 30-pounder rifles, and one 32- 
pounder, which was under and just abaft the fore- 
castle. 

The Brooklyn led the line that memorable morn- 
ing, the Hartford second, with Farragut's blue 
pennant at her mizzen. The Ossipee had sixth 
place, there being only one ship after her. All 
our ships had their largest flags floating from 
peak, staff, and every masthead. From my 
position on the forecastle,! counted nearly sixty. 
It was a beautiful and inspiring sight. The moni- 
tors were to starboard of the line of ships and a 
little in advance, the Tecumseh leading and 
opening the ball. The plan was for each ship to 
keep a little on the starboard quarter of the next 



WITH FARRAGUT AT MOBILE 97 

ahead, until nearly up to the forts and batteries, 
so as to get into action at the earliest possible 
moment. 

The forecastle pivot was the first gun fired on 
the Ossipee, and a moment later another of my 
guns in the bridle port let go. The men aft 
began cheering as wildly as if we were putting 
down the Confederacy, then and there. When 
one of our leading ships sheered a little and poured 
in a whole broadside, there were cheers for the 
Brooklyn, Richmond, or whichever vessel it was. 
All at once, an officer who had climbed into the 
rigging, called out something about the Tecumseh. 
Those below, catching only the name of the ship, 
started another cheer, but Mr. Howell, waving 
his trumpet, shouted "Great heavens, men! 
Are you cheering, when your own companions 
are lost ? " 

Some one has well described the moment when, 
after the sinking of the Tecumseh, Farragut took 
the lead : 

*' One ship is gone, but the wooden walls 
Defy the walls of stone. 
And proudly steaming past, give back 
The greetings fiercely thrown. 



98 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

Beyond, their ships and iron-clad 
Loom in the dawning gray. 

But Farragut is leading us, 
And we shall win the day." 

I believe the statement has been made that the 
fire of Fort Morgan and the water batteries slack- 
ened when the Brooklyn, Hartford, and Richmond^ 
with their powerful broadside batteries, were just 
opposite, but if this were so, they had certainly 
recovered by the time we came along. Before 
we fairly got into action, our smokestack guys 
were shot away, and when I remarked upon this 
to our game little boatswain, Mr. Milne, he 
shrugged his shoulders, and said, "That doesn't 
trouble me. The engineers will have to attend 
to it." 

**How about that?" I asked, as a shot struck 
the forestays. He became very vehement then 
about the appearance they would make when 
spliced. I thought, myself, we had come off very 
luckily, for one stay, entirely cut through, was 
only held by the snaking, while of the other but 
a single strand remained, and this was all that 
kept the whole length of them from crushing down 
upon us, on the forecastle. 



WITH FARRAGUT AT MOBILE 9d 

Our consort, the gunboat lashed to our port 
side to carry us through, if disabled, was the 
Itasca; her commander that same George Brown 
who had once decoyed our ships with black 
smoke. As we approached Fort Morgan, Brown 
began firing to the westward, over towards 
Dauphin Island, and Captain LeRoy shouted to 
him from the bridge, "Do you think. Brown, 
you're going to reach Fort Gaines from here?" 

"No;" was the answer, "but I can add to the 
smoke and bother Fort Morgan for you." 

A little later, a shot that came through our 
side, just at the angle of the deck and waterways, 
sent a lot of splinters flying, and one of them 
landed on board the Itasca, striking Brown on 
the leg. Fortunately the flat side hit him, so 
he escaped with only a painful bruise. LeRoy 
saw him jumping about the bridge, and called 
out, "Did one of those splinters hit you. Brown .f^" 

"Well, you might call it a splinter on board 
your big ship," returned the aggrieved Brown, 
"but over here, it ranks as a log of wood." 

The smoke lifted a little, as we were passing 
the water batteries, and their men could plainly 
be seen, frantically loading and training the guns. 



100 IVIY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

Our fire at point-blank range must have con- 
fused them somewhat, for they only succeeded 
in hulling us a couple of times with nine or ten- 
inch round shot. Even with this small per- 
centage of hits, however, the casualties at our 
Number 5 gun were enough to silence it for a 
time. 

Just after we passed the forts, the ironclad 
Tennessee came out of the smoke on our star- 
board bow. Before I could report her, the 
captain and Mr. Howell had taken in the situa- 
tion, and a critical one it was. It seemed to me 
there was really no escape for us. Howell, who 
was on the bridge, shouted to the captain, "shall 
we port, and ram?" but LeRoy, who was aft, 
coolly answered, "No, steady! I think we'll go 
clear." 

That question having been officially settled, 
and as none of my guns would bear until the 
Tennessee came farther aft, my attention centered 
on a big rifle gun that was projecting from her 
bow, the hole in it looking ominously large. The 
projectile, when it came, raked our berth deck, 
and as the big ironclad was almost alongside by 
that time, we returned it with the muzzles of our 



WITH FARRAGUT AT MOBILE 101 

guns depressed, but I imagine all our shot simply 
struck her casemate and bounded off. I was glad 
to see that she had the rammer in one of her broad- 
side guns, and could therefore only give us one 
more in passing. It fortunately missed the 
boilers, going through just forward of them. 
Her stern gun, which could have raked us, was 
not fired, and Lieutenant Wharton, the officer 
who was training it, told me afterwards that the 
primers failed. Our narrowest escape was from 
a ten-inch shot that grazed our main steam pipe, 
tearing off the fearnaught and wooden battens in 
which it was encased. 

Our ships having run up the bay, beyond the 
range of the forts, several had anchored, and 
their captains were preparing to go on board the 
flagship. I believe the thought had come to many 
of us — and it was not a comforting one — that 
the Tennessee, which had proved that she could 
fight her way through our fleet from van to rear, 
might, when darkness fell, steam up into our 
midst, and while we were hampered by the fear 
of injuring our friends, she would feel free to 
ram and fire in any direction. We learned after- 
wards that Farragut, fully aware of the advan- 



102 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

tages his enemy would have in a night battle, 
had determined, after a short respite, to attack 
the Tennessee, even though it had to be under 
the guns of Fort Morgan. The gunboat Morgan 
was still with her, but we had destroyed the 
Gaines, and the Selma had been captured after 
a running fight with the Metacomet, commanded 
by Captain Jouett, the officer who had boarded 
the General Rusk at Galveston. 

Those of us who did not know of Farragut's 
decision were still wondering what was to come 
next, when all uncertainty was ended by Admiral 
Buchanan, who resolved to attack at once. 
When it was seen that the Tennessee was steaming 
back up the bay, Farragut hoisted his famous 
signal, *'Run down the enemy's principal vessel 
at full speed." The distinguishing pennants of 
three ships followed this signal, the Monongahela's, 
the Lackawanna's and our own. Farragut, after 
referring to the signal in his detailed report, 
calls the combat that followed, "One of the 
fiercest on record." 

The first to attack was the Monongahela. I saw 
her strike the Tennessee going at full speed, and 
then pass on, her bow badly crushed. The 




David Glasgow Farragiit 

Frojii CI Pliotograpli by Brown Bros., .V. Y. 



WITH FARRAGUT AT MOBILE 103 

LacJcawanna made the next attempt, dashing 
against the ironclad with a force that it seemed 
must fairly ride her down, but the Tennessee 
shook her off as a baited bull might one of the 
dogs tormenting him. Then the grand old Hart- 
ford rushed at her, but the blow was a glancing 
one, and broadsides were exchanged with the 
muzzles of the guns almost touching. The guns 
of the Hartford went off at less than two-second 
intervals, a salute never to be forgotten. 

The monitor Chickasaw, Commander Perkins, 
had been dogging the Tennessee everywhere, 
battering her casemate at close quarters. Her 
colors had been shot away, and as the Richmond 
or the Brooklyn passed, letting go a whole broad- 
side, overboard went her smokestack. In the 
rush, as the ships were circling about, the Lacka- 
wanna struck the Hartford, cutting her down al- 
most to the water's edge. We were then pre- 
paring to ram, but our captain, fearing the Hart- 
ford might go down altogether, was about to check 
his ship to go to her assistance, when the Ad- 
miral, who was storming at the rail, observed 
his intention, and waved him on. We were pointed 
straight for the Tennessee with throttle wide open. 



104 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

All at once, I saw an oflScer with a white flag 
appear above her casemate. Facing about, I 
started aft, shouting "The ram has surrendered! 
She's showing a white flag !" 

Perhaps the captain and executive saw this as 
soon as I did, but it was my duty to report any- 
thing ahead, and I was, of course, excited. As I 
ran forward again from the break of the forecastle, 
I heard our boatswain, Mr. Andrew Milne, call- 
ing to the Confederate oflicer, "Put your helm 
to starboard!" This direction, if complied with, 
would have thrown the Tennessee's stern off, and 
made the blow a glancing one. Seeing that the 
officer either had not heard, or did not under- 
stand, I repeated, "Put your helm to starboard !" 
adding, "Ours is to port !" 

He answered, "I cannot. Our wheel ropes are 
shot away." 

So it happened that I was the first to com- 
municate with the enemy's flagship, when she sur- 
rendered at the close of America's greatest naval 
battle. 

The order to back our engines and put the 
helm over had been promptly given and obeyed, 
but it is doubtful if there was time for the TeU' 



WITH FARRAGUT AT MOBILE 105 

nessee to have aided in averting the colKsion. Our 
captain and executive reached the forecastle just 
as the ships struck, and began to swing alongside. 
It seemed to me as if the whole ship's company 
were on deck by that time. They came swarming 
up from below, wild with excitement. An Irish- 
man from the fireroom, in a perfectly frenzied 
state — and little else — dashed forward, yelling, 
"Board her! Board her!" I caught him by his 
undershirt, knowing if he leaped the rail, he 
would slide down the slope of the casemate and 
be crushed between the two ships, and with some 
assistance, dragged him back and down on deck. 

As soon as order could be restored, Captain 
LeRoy hailed, and asked, "Do you surrender?'* 

The officer answered, "Yes, we surrender. 
This is the Confederate States ship Tennessee. 
I am the commanding officer. Admiral Buchanan 
is wounded." 

Captain LeRoy replied, "This is the United 
States steamer Ossipee. I accept the surrender 
for Admiral Farragut." 

We lowered and sent over a boat for the Con- 
federate captain. As he came on board, he 
was nervously handling his sword, but LeRoy, 



106 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

ignoring this, shook him warmly by the hand, and 
said in his cordial way, "My poor fellow, have 
a glass of ice water. You see, my steward has it 
ready for you. Wasn't it fortunate our supply 
steamer came in a day or two ago ? " 

The other bowed his head to hide his emotion, 
and taking LeRoy's arm, the two went aft to the 
cabin. 

In arranging to take over the surrendered 
Tennessee, Captain LeRoy, so habitually thought- 
ful and considerate of others, did a great wrong 
to Lieutenant Howell, which he immediately 
and deeply regretted. To that officer naturally 
belonged the honor of taking possession of the 
ram, and no one had as much reason as LeRoy for 
feeling that he was highly deserving of it. At 
the moment of sending off our boat however, 
other vessels were closing in, and in the haste 
and excitement LeRoy, seeing Acting Lieutenant 
Girard standing near, asked him to go over 
and take charge. Girard, a zealous officer, was 
not a regular member of our ship's company. He 
had been very desirous of coming in with the fleet, 
and having received permission from the Admiral, 
had applied to LeRoy to be taken aboard the 



WITH FARRAGUT AT MOBILE 107 

Ossipee, where he had not been assigned to any 
duty. When questioned afterwards about this 
matter, LeRoy said he knew that our ships had 
drifted down nearer the forts, and fearing the 
battle might be renewed, he felt that Mr. How- 
ell could ill be spared from the Ossipee. He 
acted on this thought before other considerations 
had entered his mind. 

Our temporarily crazed fireman was not the 
only one who became drunk with the excitement 
of battle. An acting officer commanding the tug 
Philippi, whose application to accompany the 
fleet past the forts had naturally been rejected, 
suddenly decided after the other ships were well 
on their way, that he would force the passage 
alone. The audacity of this proceeding was so 
great that he was some distance up the channel 
before the garrison at Fort Morgan realized 
what he was trying to do. Then the gunners be- 
gan to pour their fire upon what they doubtless 
supposed was a laggard. Of course his little 
craft was quickly obliterated, and as might have 
been expected from such an idiot, he neglected 
to throw his signal book overboard. Having it 
in their possession, the enemy could read every 



108 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

signal made while our fleet was in the bay. To 
those who have never seen a signal book, it 
should be explained that its sides are faced with 
sheet-lead plates, heavy enough to sink it in- 
stantly, and it is understood by all nations that 
it is the one thing a conquered foe may destroy, 
when resistance has ceased, and forbearance is 
expected. 

The Morgan, the only Confederate vessel that 
had escaped destruction or capture, and which 
had taken refuge under the guns of Fort Morgan, 
slipped away in the night, and keeping well over 
to the eastward in shallow water, reached Mobile 
in safety. 

Grant's Pass, a shallow entrance to Mobile 
Bay from the west, had depended for its defense 
upon a small fortification in midchannel, which 
must have been built on piles, and was called 
Fort Powell. It had withstood repeated at- 
tacks from our light-draught gunboats in Missis- 
sippi Sound, and our prisoners from the Selma 
and Tennessee were confident of its ability to hold 
out. We were now behind it, however, and the 
small garrison soon learning what it meant to be 
shelled from the rear, it was abandoned and 



WITH FARRAGUT AT MOBILE 109 

blown up during the night. This not only opened 
a door for us to receive supplies, but cut off the 
solitary chance of escape for the garrison of Fort 
Gaines on Dauphin Island. A Union force under 
General Gordon Granger had landed to besiege 
this fort, and as we too could easily reach it with 
our guns, Colonel Anderson, who was in com- 
mand, recognized the hopelessness of the case, 
and surrendered with over eight hundred men. 

This left only Fort Morgan to be dealt with, 
and accordingly our troops were landed on Mobile 
Point, in its rear. As their flanks could be pro- 
tected by our ships, and any attack upon their 
rear fully guarded against, the reduction of the 
fort was only a question of time. The troops were 
backed by heavy guns, which were landed on the 
Point. A number were sent from the ships, in 
charge of Lieutenant Tyson of the Hartford. 
The soldiers ran zigzag trenches up towards the 
fort, and the riflemen, to protect themselves while 
shooting, placed sandbags in pairs a few inches 
apart, with a third bag on top, on the edge of the 
trench towards the enemy. Pushing their rifles 
through the openings between the bags, they were 
able to pick off those of the garrison who ven- 



110 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

tured to show themselves in an embrasure, or 
above the parapet. During the last few days of 
the siege, these approaches were carried close up 
to the ditch of the fort. 

By keeping low in the trenches, operations 
could be observed with reasonable safety, and a 
number of officers from the fleet landed for this 
purpose. One of them. Acting Ensign Charles 
Putnam, had been a former shipmate of ours on 
the Ossipee. He used to tell of an instance which 
showed the sharpshooting was not confined to one 
side. A soldier near him in the trenches confided 
that he was after a marksman in the fort who 
had been sending bullets into his particular aper- 
ture with unfailing regularity. "I've just fired, 
so he's got the turn on me now," said the soldier, 
"but after he's had it, he'll have to take to cover, 
you bet!" He had hardly finished his sentence 
when a bullet came singing through the orifice, 
and on the instant he bent forward, sighting his 
rifle, but almost as quickly fell back with another 
bullet through his cheek. The idea that his 
adversary might employ a partner in this little 
game had not occurred to him. 

The commander of Fort Morgan was General 



WITH FARRAGUT AT MOBILE 111 

Randolph Page, formerly an officer in our navy, 
where he had been known as "Ramrod" Page. 
He put on a bold front during the siege, but one 
of his assumptions amused us greatly. Admiral 
Farragut one day sent in a flag of truce, asking 
for permission to despatch some of our seriously 
wounded men in the Metacomet to Pensacola, 
where they could be cared for in the hospital. 
General Page humanely acceded to this request, 
but also stipulated that the Metacomet should 
return at once from Pensacola, since he regarded 
all the ships in the bay as his prizes and the crews 
as his prisoners. We did not use the expression 
"bluff" in those days, but this was certainly a 
superb instance of it. 

On August 22, the army was ready to open 
with its batteries, and several ships — the Ossipee 
among them — took position in Bon Secour Bay 
to assist in the bombardment. At this time I 
was in command of the quarter-deck division, 
Lieutenant Chew, who had formerly held that 
position, having just been promoted to that of 
navigator. We expected to be more severely 
punished than on the fifth, for then the ships had 
simply run past the batteries, while we knew that 



112 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

the Admiral meant to make this a stand-up fight 
to a finish. To our surprise, the guns of the fort, 
on this occasion, did comparatively little execu- 
tion. Either the fire from our ships and shore 
batteries combined was overpowering, or else the 
Northern sharpshooters may have made it almost 
impossible for the Confederates to work their 
guns. At night our ships ceased action, but as 
a fire which had broken out in the fort made it a 
glowing mark, the shore batteries kept on more 
furiously than ever. There was an inside work, 
called the citadel, which was completely burned 
out, and the garrison, unable to extinguish the 
flames, was forced to retire into the casemates. The 
column of fire, rising straight up toward heaven, 
and the flashes and roar of the guns made the 
scene an appalling one, and as I watched it from 
the deck of our ship, I wondered what means the 
poor fellows in that inferno could take to com- 
municate with their enemies, had they wished to 
surrender. In the morning, a white flag waving 
from the ramparts bore witness that the last of 
the fortifications that had guarded Mobile Bay, 
and formed the first line of defenses for the city, 
had fallen. 



WITH FARRAGUT AT MOBILE 113 

The consideration that would have been shown 
the vanquished was at first withheld, when it was 
found that they had spiked their guns, and that 
General Page and several of his officers had either 
broken their swords, or thrown them into the 
fort's well. The commander of the Lackawanna, 
Marchand, had been a former shipmate of the 
general, and had asked permission of Admiral 
Farragut to take him as a guest on board his 
ship, until the prisoners were sent north, or to 
New Orleans; but learning of this violation of 
the laws of war, he said, "Admiral, if you send 
General Page to me now, I shall put him in irons 
in the coal bunker." 

This feeling of indignation gradually wore 
away. At least I never heard that the Fort Mor- 
gan prisoners were subjected to any unusually 
rigorous treatment. 

This period of stirring action was followed by 
a little outside cruising and another tour of block- 
ading duty, at our former station off Galveston. 
We then returned to Mobile Bay. Its upper 
portion was still held by the enemy, but as we 
were in possession of the entrance and the an- 
chorage inside, no great exercise of vigilance was 



114 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

required, and the men had little to occupy them. 
It was rumored that when the Northern troops 
departed, after the fall of Fort Morgan, they had 
been obliged to leave behind them several bar- 
rels of commissary whiskey, which they had 
buried, for safe keeping, behind one of the sand 
dunes on the Point. The grog ration had been 
lately abolished in the navy, and the anxiety our 
sailors displayed to get ashore and dig for that 
whiskey was only equalled by the energy and 
perseverance with which they spaded up every 
place that looked at all promising. Their weary 
and dejected air when they returned from these 
excursions was sufficiently good evidence that the 
treasure had not been found. 

Captain LeRoy actually made use of this de- 
votion to the "demon Rum" to improve the re- 
ligious tone of the ship. It was his custom to 
read prayers in the evening when, the crew hav- 
ing been called to stand by their hammocks, he 
was sure of having two long lines of quiet, if not 
very attentive, listeners. But on Sundays, when 
the quarterdeck was transformed into something 
like a chapel, and the bell was tolled, the captain 
was apt to read the service to almost empty 



WITH FARRAGUT AT MOBILE 115 

benches. One afternoon, remarking a crowd of 
eager faces in the starboard gangway, he asked 
Mr. Howell what it was the men wanted. 

"Oh, they're wild to get their names down on 
the liberty list so they can be off to the diggings," 
explained Howell. 

"Indeed!" said LeRoy. "Well, Mr. Howell, 
will you please only allow those to go who came 
to church this morning ? " 

The next Sunday he read to a full congregation. 

During the last few months of the war, the men 
accepted by the recruiting officers, or those for 
whom the government paid bounties, were often 
physically weak or too aged to be serviceable. 
One day a draft of men came on board the Ossipee 
to fill vacancies, and our captain, recognizing one 
of them, exclaimed, "Well if there isn't old Paul 
Jones ! How could they have allowed him to 
leave the Naval Asylum.? Why, I remember 
his being called 'old Paul Jones' when I was a 
midshipman ! " 

As some occupation had to be provided for 
this ancient mariner, Mr. Howell made him 
captain of the starboard watch of the afterguard, 
a position which gave him little to do, but plenty 



116 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

of opportunity to be in evidence. He used to 
toddle about the deck at all hours, with a paint 
swab and bucket, cursing — for the benefit of 
the officer-of-the-deck — all the lazy lubbers who 
had been assigned to him, and whose work he 
was obliged to do. If you offered to send for the 
"lazy lubbers", he promptly objected, swearing 
he would rather do all the work himself, than 
have to instruct such haymakers. There was 
always a most piratical expression in his bleared 
old eyes as he made these complaints, which 
showed he particularly enjoyed breaking the regu- 
lations about profanity in the presence of an 
officer. 

I once tried to stem the tide of complaint by 
asking him if he had ever seen the Admiral in 
any of his cruises. 

"Seen him.f^" he sneered contemptuously. 
"Knowed him when he was a cussed little squirt 
of a midshipman, dependin' on me and other 
smart topmen to steer him straight!" and with 
this tribute to Farragut's early abilities, our 
conversation ended. 

Of course it was not long before old Jones went 
under the surgeon's care. His cot was swung 



WITH FARRAGUT AT MOBILE 117 

under the light poop deck, where the officers often 
gathered to smoke after dinner. 

"What you got there?" would be his greeting 
to the steward, coming from the cabin, a dish in 
his hand. 

"Just a little pudding, Jones, that the captain 
has sent you." 

"What the hell's the matter with it, that he 
can't eat it?" If the steward, on this, showed a 
disposition to sheer off, he would be rounded to, 
with, "Here! put that down. I'll see about it 
by and by." Jones had no idea of giving up 
the pudding, but wished to have it thoroughly 
understood that nothing like gratitude or obliga- 
tion was entailed. He was soon shipped back 
to the Asylum at Philadelphia, later known as 
the Naval Home. 

Just before the final surrender of the Confed- 
erate armies, the Ossipee was sent to New Orleans, 
where we had a chance to observe what a great 
relief a little blood letting may be to a strongly 
felt hatred. New Orleans, which had not suffered 
the hardships of four years' virtual siege, like 
Richmond, Mobile, Charleston, and Savannah, 
was more inclined than those cities to show her 



118 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

dislike of the hated North. I remember hearing 
of a tremendous commotion one evening at the 
Varieties Theater, because after "The Bonny 
Blue Flag" had been played, some one rose and 
asked for "The Star Spangled Banner." There 
was such a riot that the performance had to stop. 
Finally the manager came out on the stage, 
stated that the money paid for admission that 
night would be refunded, and assured his audi- 
ence that no Yankee air would ever be played in 
the Varieties Theater. His announcement was 
followed the next day by an order from Butler, 
who was then military governor: "The orchestra 
of the Varieties Theater will henceforth open with 
the 'Star Spangled Banner', close with 'Hail 
Columbia', and 'Yankee Doodle' must be played 
at least once during the evening." 

One of the first things I had noticed on coming 
to New Orleans was the inscription on the pedestal 
of the Jackson statue, "The Union must, and 
shall, be preserved." I expressed my surprise 
that the Confederates had allowed these words 
to remain, and was informed that Butler had or- 
dered them to be chiseled in, when he took over 
the governorship. 



WITH FARRAGUT AT MOBILE 119 

In spite of the detestation of New Orleans for 
the Yankees, no other city, north or south, made 
such a display of mourning for the death of 
Lincoln. We did not receive news of the assas- 
sination until the morning after it had occurred, 
and as we heard that Secretary Seward had also 
been attacked, the idea for the moment pre- 
vailed that there was a wide-spread plot. Four 
or five wretches — it is safe to say they had never 
been near the firing line — ventured to call for 
cheers for this crime against the nation, and were 
promptly shot, or cut down. So great was the 
excitement and resentment that for a time it 
seemed as if the soldiers would break loose from 
all restraint. I remember some army officers 
asked me and my companions, "Where are your 
side arms? There will be no arrests made for 
slashing any scoundrel to-day. This comes 
straight from the Provost Marshal's." 

Of course, there were many citizens who deplored 
the atrocity that had taken place, not only be- 
cause it was a crime, but because they felt too 
great provocation might convert a merciful into 
a merciless North. They needed no suggestion 
to hang out mourning, but even those not so in- 



120 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

clined were very quick to take a hint from the 
bands of soldiery pervading the streets, keenly on 
the alert for any lapses of this sort. Indeed, by 
sunset, there probably never was a city more 
thoroughly draped in black than New Orleans. 
Care was taken that there should be no object 
to offend a Northern eye. Even the gallant 
survivors of the Washington Artillery whose 
war-worn uniforms were not only regarded with 
respect by our veterans but were the delight of 
the fair sex, went into temporary retirement. 

It was while at New Orleans that we heard the 
last shot fired by the navy in the Civil War. We 
congratulated our chief engineer, Adams, on 
thus rounding out his career, for, as I have men- 
tioned, he had heard the opening guns at Palo 
Alto and Fort Sumter. It was after resistance 
had apparently ceased everywhere that "Savez" 
Reed, the Cushing of the Southern navy, conceived 
the idea of loading the ram Webb with cotton, 
and escaping with her to Havana. There he 
hoped to be able to dispose of her and her cargo 
to the benefit of himself and his daring associates. 

I do not know whether the Webb had any pro- 
tection beyond the cotton piled up around her 



WITH FARRAGUT AT MOBILE 121 

boilers and machinery. Reed had fitted some 
sort of torpedo to her, with which he thought he 
might dispose of one adversary, and with this 
sHght preparation he proposed to run past ships, 
forts, and batteries on the lower Mississippi, 
from the mouth of the Red River to the sea. He 
managed to slip by the Manhattan and Tennessee 
ironclads, and a little farther on successfully passed 
the Selma and Quaker City; but although he had 
taken the precaution of cutting the telegraph 
wires, a rumor of his attempt had reached New 
Orleans. Captain Maxwell of the Pembina, see- 
ing a steamer rapidly approaching, shouted to 
Captain Emmons of the Lackawanna, "That's 
the Webb ! I know her ! She's the only double- 
walking-beam steamer on the river ! " 

The Lackawanna opened fire, and the Ossipee 
followed suit, but the Webb, apparently uninjured, 
dashed through, and down the river out of sight. 
The Hollyhock and the Quaker City were soon in 
pursuit, and then the Ossipee, a little delayed by 
a collision with a heavy coal barge lying at the 
levee at Algiers, opposite the city. 

Late in the afternoon, we sighted the Hollyhock 
returning. She signalled the Webb had been run 



122 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

ashore and was on fire. It seems the Richmond, 
which was on her way up river, had anchored to 
repair her machinery. Reed naturally supposed 
she was lying in wait for him, and if she failed 
to sink him with her heavy broadside battery of 
nine-inch guns, she would certainly drive him 
down to the forts, thus shattering his only hope, 
which had been to pass them in the dark. So, 
yielding to what he thought was the inevitable. 
Reed destroyed his ship. As the Rebellion had 
been absolutely crushed, I think there was a gen- 
eral sense of disappointment that this daring ven- 
ture against such heavy odds had not won through. 
Soon after this, the Ossipee was sent north, as 
were nearly all the other ships in the Western Gulf 
Blockading Squadron. Admiral Farragut had 
been succeeded some time before by Rear Admiral 
H. K. Thatcher. We left Lieutenant Howell in 
the hospital at New Orleans, and Lieutenant Chew 
became executive officer. I was then second 
watch and division officer, having been advanced 
gradually from the fifth. When we reached 
Philadelphia, I was detached and ordered home. 
It was a year and eight months since I had sailed 
from that port to join the Ossipee. 



CHAPTER VI 

The Bombardment of Valparaiso 

The month of September saw me again at the 
Philadelphia Navy Yard. I had orders to report 
for duty on board the VanderhilU which was 
fitting out for a cruise around South America. 
The situation in Mexico was then engaging the 
public attention. Our attitude had made it 
clear to Louis Napoleon that he must either 
decide to fight us, or else withdraw the French 
troops from Mexico and leave his dupe Maxi- 
milian to his fate. The newspapers, of course, 
were full of rumors of war, and I remember 
some verses the London Punch published at this 
time that were widely quoted, especially their 
refrain, which was in the form of a duet between 
the Emperor and Secretary Seward, and ran, 

"I can't" 

"You must " (get out of Mexico) 

"I won't—" 

"You will." 

123 



124 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

The French naval force on the Pacific coast 
was superior to ours, and in view of this fact, our 
Government had determined to send out to that 
station the double turreted monitor Monadnock, 
then considered one of the four most formidable 
vessels in the world. She was to be convoyed 
by the Vanderbilt which, with the Powhatan and 
Tuscarora, made up a squadron commanded by 
Commodore John Rodger s. The Vanderbilt was 
chosen for the flagship. Her captain was Com- 
mander J. H. Sanford, and among her oflScers I 
was pleased to find Ensign F. A. Cook, my room- 
mate at the Academy, and Ensign W. A. Van 
Vleck, who had been with me in the Ossipee, 

Our Commodore, under whom we were proud 
to serve, came of navy stock. His father, also a 
Commodore John Rodgers, commanded the only 
cruising squadron during the War of 1812, and 
his severe handling of the English sloop-of-war 
Little Belt, though quite unpremeditated, afforded 
some satisfaction to a people sorely indignant at 
that time over the attack of the Leopard upon 
the frigate Chesapeake. The record of the elder 
Rodgers has been somewhat obscured by the 
better known achievements of his son, whose 




Commodore John Rodgers 

From flic Pliotografh in the Collection of Frederick H. Mcservc. 



THE BOMB.iRDMENT OF VALPARAISO 125 

great services to the country, at that dark period 
when the Army of the Potomac was falling back 
from Richmond, can scarcely be overestimated. 
Their importance can perhaps be best understood 
by a few quotations from his own dispatches. He 
writes in one, "To save the army as far as we can, 
demands all our disposable force. The fighting 
has been continual, the losses very great. We 
fall back in admirable order, disputing every 
inch of the way. ... If, as I hope, we can 
get the army upon a plain, on the river bank, 
and then protect each flank by gun-boats, it 
can have a chance for rest." And again, "Now, 
if ever, is a chance for the navy to render a signal 
service, but it must not delay." 

When the first monitor foundered off Hatteras, 
there was a general feeling among the wooden- 
wall seamen of the navy that an iron craft, heavily 
armored, and floating only two feet out of water, 
was nothing but a death trap. Rodgers, sure that 
it would require a practical proof to dispel this 
feeling, took the monitor Weehawken to sea in a 
gale, and having shown that a vessel of her type 
could survive a storm, confidence was restored, 
not only in the navy, but also in the country. 



126 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

A little later he won a signal victory in this very 
ship, compelling the Confederate ironclad Atlanta 
to strike her colors, after an engagement so sharp 
and decisive that the Weehawhens consort, the 
Nahant, was not even obliged to open fire. It 
was a triumph the more marked, because so many 
of the citizens of Savannah were spectators, 
having come to see and rejoice over what they 
supposed would be a Confederate victory. 

A belief in the monitor type was an article of 
faith with the Commodore. His officers soon 
discovered this. We left Philadelphia with the 
Monadnock in November, and the Powhatan and 
Tuscarora joined us at Hampton Roads, but to 
all intents and purposes there was but one ship 
in the squadron for the Commodore, and that 
the Monadnock, When he spoke of "that ship", 
we knew without inquiring that he meant the 
Monadnock. He had this habit of concentrating 
one of the most magnificent minds I ever knew 
on some particular object, to the exclusion of 
all others. He used to make me think of a walker 
who, with eyes fixed on some noble and distant 
view, is quite heedless of any obstacles that may 
lie in his path. Mrs. Rodgers, knowing his in- 



THE BOMBARDMENT OF VALPARAISO 127 

difference to the affairs of everyday life, had 
sent to sea with him a servant called David who, 
although the Commodore would have scorned 
the idea of needing a valet, really filled that 
office. Sometimes the Commodore got away 
from David, and then there would be noticeable 
oddities in his attire. Mrs. Rodgers used to 
say that after her husband's behavior on their 
wedding day, she was prepared for any eccen- 
tricity on his part, for on that momentous oc- 
casion, when all the friends and relatives were 
assembled and the bride was ready and waiting, 
the groom was not to be found. After an awk- 
ward and trying delay, he was finally discovered 
in the kitchen, entirely absorbed in the mysteries 
of a cookbook. 

Often when he was pacing the deck during my 
watch, his fine head sunk in thought, I have seen 
his face suddenly light up, and beckoning me over 
to the rail, and resting his arms comfortably 
upon it, he would fix his eye upon me, and begin, 
"Now, this officer — " and ramble along, until 
I interrupted him with, "Really, Commodore, I 
haven't the slightest idea of whom you are talk- 
mg. 



128 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

When he alluded to ^'that officer", the rest of 
us soon learned that he meant Cook, whom he 
had chosen for his flag-lieutenant, and who ran 
him a close second as to heedlessness. Having 
sent for "that officer" one day at his request, I 
overheard the following conversation between 
them. 

"Mr. Cook," began the Commodore, "did you 
make the signal I spoke of, to 'that ship' at day- 
light this morning .f^" 

Cook, of course, knew "that ship" referred to 
the Monadnock, but he was equally certain that 
he had not been ordered to make any signal to 
her at that particular time. There ensued quite 
an animated discussion, the Commodore very 
positive he had given the order, and Cook as 
stoutly declaring if he had been told, he should 
have at least recollected something about it. 
At last the Commodore brought the argument 
to an end by remarking somewhat wearily, "I 
say I told you to make the signal. You say I 
did not. Well, — we never shall know." And he 
turned sadly away. 

Our chief engineer, John Germain, regarded 
the Vanderbilt in much the same light that the 



THE BOMBARDMENT OF VALPARAISO 129 

Commodore did the Monadnock. With the ex- 
ception of one voyage across the Atlantic, he 
had been her chief engineer ever since her con- 
struction, and when Commodore Vanderbilt, her 
builder and owner, turned her over to the navy, 
he requested that Germain should continue with 
her. To effect this, Germain and two or three 
of his assistants were made acting officers, the 
chief with the rank of lieutenant commander. 
They all served through the war and went with 
us to the Pacific. Germain had many stories 
to tell of Commodore Vanderbilt; among others 
of his interview with President Lincoln, which 
had resulted in the transfer of the ship to the 
government. It was when the country was in 
a state of alarm over the exploits of the Merrimac. 
Vanderbilt had the idea that she might be effec- 
tively attacked by steamers, so strengthened at 
the bows that they could be used as rams, and 
he offered one of his own ships to make the trial. 
Mr. Lincoln suggested calling in the Secretary 
of the Navy to discuss the project, but Vander- 
bilt objected, saying in his blunt way that he 
wouldn't trust him with a flatboat on the Con- 
necticut River. The President, who never allowed 



130 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

personal feeling to interfere with what might be 
of service to the country, overlooked this criticism 
of his cabinet officer and heard Vanderbilt through, 
remarking, however, at the end, "But suppose 
your fine steamer is lost; what will the Govern- 
ment have to pay ? " 

"Don't worry about that, Mr. President!" 
answered Vanderbilt. Then in his impulsive 
fashion, he seized a sheet of paper, and wrote a 
receipt of five dollars for the ship, saying, "There, 
Mr. President, keep that, and if she's lost, the 
country pays five dollars for her, and if she isn't, 
she'll be worth more to me than ever." After 
telling of this offer, he used to add, "But old 
Welles got ahead of me, after all, for having 
heard what I had said and done, he had a bill 
introduced, giving me the thanks of Congress 
for the gift of the ship, and of course, after such 
an honor, I couldn't have the face to say that I 
had only meant to give her temporarily, for a 
time of need." 

I have often wondered whether, when it was 
decided to sell the Vanderbilt, her former owner's 
wishes were consulted. The purchasers took out 
her engines and boilers, making her a four-masted 



THE BOMBARDMENT OF VALPARAISO 131 

sailing ship, with the name of The Three Brothers. 
I last saw her in the harbor of Gibraltar, in the 
year 1906. She had been turned into a mastless 
coal hulk, and yet in her ancient timbers there 
still remained something of the old beauty of line 
and proportion, so pleasing to a sailor's eye. 

Germain was a man of enormous strength. His 
assistants used to tell with great unction of their 
chief's encounter with the prize fighter, Billy 
Mulligan, who took passage in the Vanderhilt 
when he crossed to England to attend the inter- 
national prize fight between Heenan and Sayers. 
The two countries were in a ferment of excite- 
ment over this match. I recollect, as a boy, 
hearing my teacher, Roswell Farnham, say that 
he wished our people had taken as much interest in 
the contest between Buchanan and Fremont for 
the presidency as in that of Heenan and Sayers 
for the championship belt. With this feeling in 
the air, it was natural that Mulligan, a celebrity 
in his profession, should consider himself un- 
hampered by the regulations that governed 
ordinary people. Germain^ found him in the 
engine room one morning, complacently breaking 
some rule of the ship. Germain called his atten- 



132 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

tion to this, and added that he was the chief 
engineer. "Are you really?" answered Mulligan, 
"Well, I'm Billy Mulligan, and I'd have you 
know that when it comes to chiefs, I'm the Big 
Chief, wherever I happen — " Just here, some- 
thing like a circular storm struck him, and he 
was outside in the gangway before he came to a 
realizing sense that he had been interrupted. He 
often visited the engine room after that, coming 
to the door and inquiring for "Mr. Chief", and 
when invited within, would enter and bask in the 
presence. Heenan was a passenger on the return 
trip, and one of his first proceedings after coming 
on board was to present himself at the door of 
the engine room, and ask for Mr. Mulligan's 
friend. 

Germain and our executive officer, Franklin, 
got on well together, though it was known that 
the former, when he entered the service, had 
proclaimed that "no first mate should ever give 
him orders when the skipper was aboard." 

On leaving Hampton Roads, we headed for the 
port of St. Thomas. Our order of sailing was in 
the form of a diamond, the Monadnock on our 
starboard quarter, the Tuscarora on our port 



THE BOMBARDMENT OF VALPARAISO 133 

quarter, and the Powhatan right astern. In 
good weather the Monadnoch could make about 
seven knots, which of course became the speed 
of the squadron. Quite early in the voyage, we 
struck a heavy gale, and she parted her wheel 
ropes. For hours we waited, watching her, where 
she lay in the trough of the sea, the waves making 
a clear break across her. We lost sight of the 
Powhatan and Tuscarora, but with his eyes fixed 
on the distressing plight of *'that ship", I doubt 
if the Commodore was hardly aware of their 
disappearance. We found them riding at anchor 
when we reached St. Thomas, where the Com- 
modore had a mast stepped on the forecastle of 
the Monadnoch, which fitted with yards and sails 
from the Vanderhilt and Tuscarora, gave her a 
course, topsail, and jib. 

Our next stop was at the Isles de Salut, near 
Cayenne, where we coaled. One of this group, 
Devil's Island, became well known later as the 
scene of Dreyfus' imprisonment. At the time 
of our visit, there were about a thousand convicts 
on the islands, with a force of marines in charge 
of them. Among them was a prisoner who ex- 
cited our interest and speculation, because he was 



134 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

on such a different footing from the others. He 
lived apart in a pretty cottage, and we noticed 
that his guards treated him with respect. The 
night before we sailed from the Isles de Salut, 
a French officer who was dining on board the 
Monadnock volunteered the information that this 
prisoner was Felice Orsini, supposed to have been 
guillotined with his confederate Fieri for their 
attempted assassination of the Emperor Na- 
poleon III, in January, 1858. We never had 
any means of knowing whether this statement 
was an indiscreet betrayal of the truth, or a flight 
of fancy on the part of its author. It is not an 
impossible supposition, however, that Louis Na- 
poleon was so alarmed by the threats of the 
Italian secret societies, of which he and Orsini 
were both members, that he had agreed to a 
merely apparent execution of the latter, and 
contrived that some common criminal should 
suffer in his place. ^ 

We visited the ports of Cira, Bahia, Rio de 
Janeiro, and Montevideo on our way to the 
Straits of Magellan, but the only occurrence I 

1 See Orsini, Encyclopaedia Britannica. It states that Louis 
Napoleon's apprehensions impelled him to attack Austria. 



THE BOMBARDMENT OF VALPARAISO 135 

can recall in connection with any of these places 
was a visit made by the Emperor of Brazil, Dom 
Pedro, to the Monadnock, and the very thorough 
inspection he gave her. 

Speaking of thoroughness reminds me that 
few could equal our Commodore in that respect. 
He had a passion for research, and would go to 
almost any lengths to satisfy himself. When 
we were off the mouth of the Rio de la Plata, it 
happened that an odd looking fish was caught by 
one of the men. A volunteer officer on board, 
whom the Commodore considered an authority 
in such matters, unfortunately remarked that 
this fish was luminous. The Commodore was 
interested at once and bent upon having light. 
He retired to the cabin with his treasure, and 
there followed a great commotion of closing 
ports and skylights. The captain presently made 
an explosive exit, declaring the darkness and 
lack of air unbearable. A little later the Com- 
modore appeared, baffled and perspiring, but 
still hopeful. It had occurred to him that there 
were empty water tanks on board. Inside one 
of these, with the plate on, he thought absolute 
darkness might be secured. But Franklin, the 



136 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

executive, discouraged this project. "You know, 
Commodore," he protested, "you are really too 
large to crawl through that manhole, and even 
if you did manage to squeeze in, we might have 
to cut the tank open to get you out again." 

The chief engineer was next appealed to. How 
about that after boiler, in which steam had not 
been gotten up? Germain was even more em- 
phatic in his disapproval than Franklin. "Good 
heavens. Commodore ! There's not only the risk 
of getting caught in the manhole, but it's danger- 
ous to get inside one boiler when there's steam 
up in another." 

What scheme the Commodore would have 
evolved next will never be known, for just then 
our pilot, a fat, important little Englishman, 
came mincing along the deck, and his acquaintance 
with that part of the coast prompted the Com- 
modore to ask if he could give the local name for 
the luminous fish, which was placidly swimming 
round and round in the narrow confines of a 
bucket. The pilot looked, thrust his hand into 
the bucket, drew out the fish, and uttering the 
one word, "Squid!" tossed it over the rail and 
strutted away. 



THE BOMBARDMENT OF VALPARAISO 137 

The Commodore stared indignantly after the 
retreating figure, and then turned to those of us 
who were gathered about him, for we were always 
interested in him, if not in his works. 

"Did you ever see anything to equal that?" 
he complained. "A man gets a rare — I may 
say an almost unique specimen — and some in- 
fernal fool comes along, calls it a * squid', and 
throws it overboard!" 

We anchored four times while going through 
the Straits of Magellan, in Possession Bay, off 
Sandy Point, at Port Gallant, and in York Roads. 
Sandy Point, with less than one hundred in- 
habitants, was the only settlement south of the 
Argentine frontier, one thousand miles away. 
During our stay there, the Commodore heard 
that coal had been found only a few miles inland. 
He instantly conceived the idea that with this 
supply to draw on, heavy tugs might be stationed 
in Possession Bay to tow sailing ships through 
the Straits and to a good offing in the Pacific, 
thus affording them an escape from the dangers, 
losses, and hardships of beating to the westward 
around Cape Horn, the severest task imposed 
upon a seaman. 



138 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

Of course before a report could be made on the 
subject, samples of the coal must be secured and 
tested, and the Commodore determined on a visit 
to the reputed mine. A few horses were obtained, 
and a small party, of which I was a member, 
started on the expedition. Our route, for part 
of the way, lay up the dry bed of a stream, strewn 
with boulders and overhung with low stunted 
trees. It must have been one of these trees 
that knocked the Commodore from his saddle. 
At any rate, the first thing we knew, he was on 
the ground, being dragged over the loose rocks 
and boulders, his foot having caught in the 
stirrup. It seemed an age before some one, 
seizing his horse's bridle, pulled him out of the 
way of trampling hoofs, and we were all much 
excited save the Commodore himself, who was 
heard to calmly express the wish, as he was 
jerked and bumped along, that some one would 
be kind enough to "extricate" his foot. 

We returned to the ship with several bags of 
specimens, and various experiments were made 
in the cabin, as in the case of the luminous fish, 
and equally to the captain's exasperation. The 
Commodore came to the conclusion that the 



THE BOMBARDMENT OF VALPARAISO 139 

coal was too poor for steaming purposes, and so 
dropped the matter, but many of us thought it 
was a plan that should have been perfected, even 
had it entailed the shipping of coal to the Straits. 
Had the Commodore's idea been carried out, it 
might have delayed the construction of the 
Panama Canal a number of years. 

I am afraid Captain Sanford had little sym- 
pathy from the rest of us when he showed im- 
patience with the Commodore's pursuit of hobbies, 
and absent-minded ways. To us, his eccentricities 
were a part of his character, and therefore all 
lovable. If we had lived right up against them 
as the captain did, we might have been a little 
better able to share his viewpoint, but I am in- 
clined to doubt it. I did see the skipper on one 
occasion, however, when I really felt sorry for 
him. He and the Commodore were standing 
together on deck, the captain anxiously watching 
the weather signs — for there was a stiff gale 
blowing — and the Commodore going through 
the contents of his pockets. From one of these 
he suddenly released a quantity of fine tobacco 
dust, and sent it up into the wind's eye, whence 
it promptly blew back into the captain's. His 



140 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

cry of pain roused the Commodore's attention 
and sympathy, but as his first move was to 
blunder on to the captain's feet and almost 
crush one of them, his next attempt to approach 
was violently deprecated by Sanford, who hopping 
wildly about, his foot in one hand, and holding 
his eyes with the other, implored the Commodore 
for Heaven's sake to keep away from him. 

At York Roads, one of our oflBcers, while hunt- 
ing on shore, accidentally shot a Fuegean through 
the leg. It is to be feared his family would will- 
ingly have sacrificed him again, for after the 
wound had been dressed by the surgeon, they 
departed laden with what they regarded as a 
fortune in cloth, flannel, and tobacco. 

Our ship and the Powhatan made their way 
out of the Straits into the Pacific at the western 
entrance, and proceeded up the coast to San 
Estevan Bay in the Gulf of Penas. There the 
Monadnock and the Tuscarora — to which the 
Commodore had temporarily transferred his flag 
— joined us, having come up through the inside 
channel. The Monadnock and the other ships 
had coaled, while at Sandy Point, from a sailing 
ship which had been sent there to meet us, and 



THE BOMBARDMENT OF VALPARAISO 141 

at San Est e van Bay we again coaled the Monad- 
nock from our own bunkers. We then sailed in 
company for Valparaiso. When we left Hampton 
Roads, the strength of the French fleet was the 
question that engrossed us. On our way down the 
east coast of South America, we had found Brazil 
and Argentine — or Buenos Ayres, as it was then 
called — at war with Paraguay, and we knew that 
Chili, Peru, and Bolivia, on the west coast, were 
at war with Spain, but we had not dreamed that 
this latter conflict could affect us vitally until we 
reached Valparaiso, and found ourselves part of a 
situation which threatened to become more tensely 
exciting than any prospect of an encounter with 
the French fleet. 

The Spanish fleet, under Admiral Mendez 
Nunez, was lying in the harbor of Valparaiso 
when we arrived, waiting for orders concerning 
the bombardment of the city. The fleet under 
Nunez consisted of -his flagship, the Numantia, 
a broadside ironclad mounting thirty-four guns, 
four flne wooden frigates — the Villa de Madrid, 
Resolucion, Blanca, and Beranguela — and the 
gunboat Vincidora, all these together carrying 
about two hundred guns. 



142 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

The English fleet lying at Valparaiso, to which 
with ours, the residents anxiously looked to pre- 
vent the bombardment of an unfortified and 
defenseless town, had three ships, the Sutlej 
and Leander frigates, and the gunboat Shear- 
water, mounting in all about one hundred and 
ten guns. To these we could add sixty, having 
found the Mohongo, one of our double-enders, 
in port on our arrival. 

The Sutlej was flying the flag of Rear Admiral 
Denman, and on board the Leander was Com- 
modore DeCourcey. Two greater contrasts in 
type could not have been imagined. Denman 
was tall and spare, having what his officers — 
to use a favorite British adjective — called a 
"cruel" nose, while DeCourcey, so short and 
stout that he looked like the jack of clubs, was 
said to have a "cruel" paunch. 

Lord Charles Beresford,^ who was a midship- 
man on the Sutlej at this time, seems to hint 
that court influence had played its part in Den- 

1 In after years Lord Beresford, then a noted admiral, referred to 
the Oregon in a way that a sailor particularly values when coming 
from one of his own profession. He spoke as a seaman of the feeling 
of pride he had in the ship, and in regard to her achievement remarked 
with emphasis, " When any of our officers say, * We have ships that 
could do it,' I answer, * Yes, but we have not done it.' " 



THE BOMBARDMENT OF VALPARAISO 143 

man's selection for flag rank, for he speaks in 
his memoirs of Admiral, the Honorable Joseph 
Denman, succeeding to his position, "after the 
enjoyment of twenty -five years of profound 
peace in command of the Queen's yacht." 

The bluff DeCourcey was not adapted for the 
command of royal yachts, if one can judge by a 
story that was told us by his officers. Some 
ancient sovereign, whose treasury was not perhaps 
in a state that would permit of more substantial 
rewards, had conferred on the DeCourcey family 
the rather curious privilege of standing with 
covered heads in the presence of royalty. Queen 
Victoria, who was well posted in all family tradi- 
tions, one day noticed a broad-beamed craft in 
naval uniform, including the cocked hat, drifting 
about at one of her levees, and placed him im- 
mediately. "I see. Commodore," she remarked, 
as he was presented, "that you are availing 
yourself — and justly — of the privilege of your 
distinguished family." 

"Yes, Your Majesty," acknowledged De- 
Courcey, with a low bow, but no sign of removing 
his headgear. 

"Having done so," added the queen, "should 



144 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

you not remove your hat in the presence of 
ladies?" 

"Assuredly, except when Your Majesty is 
present. As the subject, I must remain covered 
in the presence of my sovereign." 

The Spanish admiral, Mendez Nunez — or 
Mondays Tuesdays, as we used to call him — 
had a most attractive personality. He had 
reached the rank of admiral at a comparatively 
early age. His reputation, not only as an officer 
but as a man, was of the highest, nor was it 
clouded because Queen Isabella, of whose char- 
acter the same could not be said, was devoted 
to his interests. No one felt more deeply than 
he the alternative of either yielding to the threats 
of the American and English commanders, or 
bombarding a defenseless city, as his orders from 
Madrid demanded. 

The interval of waiting for these orders was 
filled with the wildest speculations. Would they 
or would they not come, and if they did, would 
the English and American squadrons interfere? 
I venture to say that there were few in our squad- 
ron who were particularly pleased with the 
prospect of interference and the resulting conflict 



THE BOMBARDMENT OF VALPARAISO 145 

with the Spanish fleet. Fresh from one war, 
and with the expectation of going into another, 
we were not hungering for additional fighting. 
Still it was all in the day's work for us, and it 
amused us to affect much sympathy for Chief 
Engineer Germain and our acting chaplain, Mr. 
Bush, for being involved in such a position. 
Germain, who had served through our Civil 
War, would have resigned at the end of it had 
not Commodore Vanderbilt urged him to stay 
by his ship until our fleet reached San Francisco. 
When we condoled with him on being caught, 
as it were, between the two commodores, he 
would answer rather grimly, "Never mind about 
that ! If there's a battle, just you get this ship 
pointed right, and I'll drive her through the 
Numantia herself." 

Mr. Bush was the pastor of the church Com- 
modore Rodgers attended in Orange, New Jersey. 
As he was out of health, his parishioners had 
given him leave for a year, and flag officers being 
then allowed to appoint civilian secretaries. 
Commodore Rodgers had been able to obtain 
one of these positions for him. Greatly benefited 
by the voyage, he had up to this time often con- 



146 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

gratulated himself on his good fortune, but now 
he could only smile sadly when asked about the 
advantages of Valparaiso as a health resort. 

When it became known that Valparaiso was 
actually to be bombarded, the excitement, not 
only on shore, but afloat, was intense. Millions 
of dollars' worth of property belonging to for- 
eigners would undoubtedly be destroyed, and 
while the English stood to lose the largest amount, 
yet the Vanderbilt was besieged by ministers 
and consuls from many other nations, all appeal- 
ing to the Commodore to interpose. There 
were meetings and councils both in Santiago and 
Valparaiso. Our minister. General Kilpatrick, 
was noisily demonstrative, urging the Commodore 
to interfere, and treating the whole affair as if it 
were some light undertaking. He declared if it 
came to a battle, he wanted to be on board the 
Vanderbilt and have a hand in it. He bore the 
reputation — no doubt deservedly — of being a 
dashing cavalry officer, but I can remember, 
when he made this speech, seeing the Commodore 
turn and look at him in a half amused, half con- 
temptuous way. 

There was, I think, a general feeling among 



THE BOMBARDMENT OF VALPARAISO 147 

our officers and crews that the affair was really 
none of our business. Chili was at war with a 
nation possessing a navy, and could scarcely 
look to others to save her sea-ports from con- 
tribution or destruction. So far as property 
was concerned, there was little or nothing belong- 
ing to Americans to protect. Of course, the 
worst feature of the bombardment was the misery 
it would occasion in a city of one hundred thousand 
people, among whom there would certainly be 
numbers too sick or helpless to be moved, and 
the many homes that would be destroyed. 

Commodore Rodgers was undoubtedly in- 
fluenced by these last considerations, for it 
was evident from the outset that he meant to 
interfere, if he could induce the English admiral 
to take part with him. There were a few of our 
officers — Captain Sanford was one of them — 
who attributed this readiness on the Commodore's 
part to his desire to see a fight between the Amer- 
ican monitor and the Spanish ironclad. I think 
the Commodore must have had some knowledge 
of this talk, but if so, he gave no indications, 
but kept steadily on his course, with his eyes 
on the main issue. I discovered, however, during 



148 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

this period of waiting, that he was not indifferent 
to the opinions of his officers, even of my rank, 
though in this case there may have been some 
personal regard involved. He had always shown 
a very kindly feeling for me, and often during 
the cruise had passed an hour or two of the mid- 
watch talking with me, much to the irritation 
of the captain, who evidently felt I could not 
attend to my duties properly when absorbed by 
what the Commodore was saying. One after- 
noon during my watch, a square-rigged ship was 
sighted to the northward of Valparaiso, and after 
looking at her some time through a glass, I said, 
"That's a man-of-war. Let's hope it's the Lan- 
caster T* 

The Commodore, who had overheard me, 
asked at once, "Why do you hope it is the Lan- 
caster ? " 

I knew immediately what was in his mind, for 
the Lancaster was the flagship of Admiral Pearson, 
and his arrival would mean that he would take 
command of our fleet. This change would have 
been pleasing to those who did not approve of 
the Commodore's policy and who hoped that 
Pearson's might be different. 



THE BOMBARDMENT OF VALPARAISO 149 

I hastened to disabuse him of this idea and 
explain my own thought, by saying, "Because 
she carries twenty-six nine-inch guns, sir." 

His face brightened, and he said, "Yes, that 
would be a help," and after a pause, he added, 
"of course, the Monadnock would be triumphant 
in the end." 

"Yes, Commodore," I answered, "I suppose 
so ; but don't you think a little assistance would 
give us a better chance of seeing the triumph ? " 

It was said by some that he meant to transfer 
his flag to the Monadnock, if a battle took place, 
but this rumor was disposed of by his statement 
that Bunce, her captain, could fight her all right, 
and he would look on from the paddle box of the 
Vanderbilt. 

The Commodore became strongly attached to 
Nunez. I remember hearing him say one night, 
when he returned from a conference on the Nu- 
mantia, "Nunez is brave and true. He will do 
his duty. My heart warmed towards him while 
he spoke." 

I learned that Nunez had thoroughly won the 
Commodore's approval by the frank way in 
which he stated his intentions. "Commodore," 



150 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

said he, "you have a reputation in your country, 
and you too, General Kilpatrick, but I also have 
one in mine, and I shall try to keep it. I shall 
bombard Valparaiso. Of course, you know," 
he added, "that this matter could be adjusted. 
I have plenipotentiary powers, and if the Chileans 
would just stop blowing their bugles in my face 
and salute our flag, at the very first gun I would 
hoist their flag and return the salute, then go on 
shore and settle all troubles. As they are not 
willing to do this, I must carry out my orders. 
If you feel it your duty to interfere. Commodore, 
your Monadnock may be too strong for my Nu- 
mantia, but I think I can dispose of everything 
else, and then if I find I can't whip the MonadnocJcy 
I will leave." 

It was this calm certainty of being able to 
"dispose of everything else" that troubled all 
of us except the Commodore, and even he may 
have had his misgivings. Meantime the prepara- 
tions for battle went forward. Twelve hundred 
bags of coal were stored in the gangways of the 
Vanderbilt to shelter the most exposed parts of 
her boilers and machinery. The Tuscarora plated 
her sides with chain cables, and on board the 



THE BOMBARDMENT OF VALPARAISO 151 

Powhatan the light spar-deck cabin used when 
she was a flagship was removed, and a pivot 
gun mounted in its place. 

Beresford, in his memoirs, alludes to the Amer- 
ican fleet and especially to the Mojiadnock, whose 
identity however he confuses with the Mianto- 
nomoh, her sister ship. 

He says, on page sixty -six : 

"The European residents in Valparaiso, who 
owned an immense amount of valuable property, 
stored in the custom houses, were terrified at 
the prospect of a bombardment, and petitioned 
Admiral Denman to prevent it. An American 
fleet of war-ships was also lying in the bay. 
Among them was the 'Miantonomoh', the 
second screw iron-clad that ever came through 
the Straits of Magellan, the first being the Spanish 
iron-clad 'Numantia.' 

" When the * Miantonomoh ' crossed the 
Atlantic in 1866, the Times kindly remarked that 
the existing British Navy was henceforth useless, 
and that most of its vessels were only fit to be 
laid up and painted that dirty yellow, which is 
universally adopted to mark treachery, failure 
and crime. 

" The British and American Admirals consulted 
together as to the advisability of preventing a 
bombardment. The prospect of a fight cheered 



152 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

us all, and we entered into elaborate calculations 
of the relative strength of the Spanish fleet and 
the British-American force. As a matter of 
fact, they were about equal." 

In the midst of these preparations, the English 
admiral, Denman, suddenly announced that he 
had orders from home which positively forbade 
him to interfere. Then all was confusion and 
dismay. The English residents, realizing that 
their property was likely to be lost, or injured, 
were furious because their admiral would not, in 
violation of his instructions, give an order that 
meant a battle of the most sanguinary descrip- 
tion. They sent him a wooden sword, and talked 
of "our fancy squadron, Lady Denman command- 
ing." The squat and truculent DeCourcey went 
on the warpath. He declared — so we heard — 
that if we decided to fight, he would be with us. 
If any shot came his way, he was going to fire 
back. Of course this stand made him generally 
popular, and the contrast with Denman the more 
telling. Nevertheless, if Admiral Denman, aware 
from the, first that he was powerless to interfere, 
felt that by threatening to unite with us he might 
force the Spaniard to spare the city, he took a 



THE BOMBARDMENT OF VALPARAISO 153 

chance that involved his reputation, and braved 
what many would regard as worse than death. 
Cables and wireless telegraphy practically ensure 
against such a situation in the present day. 

The Valparaisans still cherished a faint hope 
that the Spaniards might relent, or that we might 
be induced to interpose. In fact, we were re- 
garded for a time with enthusiasm, in the light 
of their sole defenders, and I remember seeing 
illuminations in the plaza of Valparaiso in honor 
of the squadron "de los Estados Unidos." Com- 
modore Rodgers now felt that the time had come 
to dispel these false hopes, and spoke out de- 
cisively. A large delegation of foreign residents 
had come on board the Vanderhilt, stating that 
as far as lay in their power they made the Com- 
modore official protector of the rights of their 
respective countries. The insistent urging of 
General Kilpatrick was supported by an English- 
man, one who had been an ardent Southern 
sympathizer just a few months before. He drew 
an animated picture of the gratitude his country- 
men would feel towards Americans, winding up 
with the phrase, *' blood is thicker than water." 

"Yes," retorted the Commodore, losing his 



154 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

hitherto unruffled serenity, "but I notice that 
you would have America contribute all the 
blood!" 

Then turning to the minister and delegation, 
"We are not afraid to fight, even against great 
odds ; but England must be involved. All I 
ask is a cutter with the English flag flying, to 
tow astern of the Vanderhilt ! The gratitude 
you speak of would not prevent certain English- 
men from fitting out new Alahamas and Floridas 
to destroy what little commerce we have left, 
should we get into a war with Spain." 

It must be said of the Chileans that when 
they saw there was no longer any hope of protec- 
tion, they showed no intention of submitting. 
When Nunez announced the bombardment for 
four days later, he declared his intention of firing 
only upon the public buildings, but as they ex- 
tended all the way from the bonded warehouses 
at Reeftopsail Point to the Naval Academy and 
railroad station at the northern end of the city, 
it was evident that no quarter would be really 
out of reach of shot and shell. So, on the day 
before the bombardment, the sad exodus began. 
I was on shore that day, and saw men and women, 



THE BOMBARDMENT OF VALPARAISO 155 

carrying their sick and aged, and hurrying crying 
children before them, abandoning their homes to 
take refuge in the country, or on the high hills 
that overlooked the town. On the fateful morn- 
ing, these hills were black with people. Many 
of them had come from Santiago as spectators, 
and that city had also sent all her fire companies 
to assist in checking the flames, after the bom- 
bardment was over. 

A little after eight o'clock, the Spanish frigates 
and the Vincidora stood in, and took their stations 
near the shore. About nine o'clock, a signal was 
hoisted on the Numantia, lying just to the north- 
ward of our ships, and her consorts opened fire. 
At first, except when a slanting roof was struck, 
we could not see that much damage was being 
done, for nearly all the buildings were of stone, 
but soon smoke began to rise above the bonded 
warehouses, and it was evident fires had started. 
Very shortly these began to spread, especially in 
the southern portion of the city. The firing from 
the ships was erratic. Sometimes a frigate would 
let go a whole broadside, and again the shots 
would be intermittent. A little after eleven, the 
Numantia hoisted another signal, upon which the 



156 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

ships ceased firing, and stood out past us to their 
former anchorage. We immediately ran in, and 
sent large fire parties from all our ships. As 
we pulled in to the mole — as the landing place 
in front of the custom house was called — we 
could see that it was torn up in every direc- 
tion. The building from the front showed only 
holes where the projectiles had entered, but the 
moment we passed through the arched gateway 
we found a complete wreck, and the square be- 
tween it and the Intendencia was filled with 
debris. The building itself was ruined. The 
fires were soon under control, and late in the 
afternoon our fire parties were withdrawn. We 
did not hear of any loss of life, which was not 
extraordinary, as the city was deserted. It was 
said that property amounting to many millions 
of dollars was destroyed, but there was never, 
to my knowledge, any careful estimate made. 

Beresford says, after writing of the bombard- 
ment : 

" I accompanied a landing party to help ex- 
tinguish the conflagration. We put the fires 
out, but the inhabitants were so angry with us 
because we had not prevented the bombardment, 



THE BOMBARDMENT OF VALPARAISO 157 

that they requested that the landing party should 
be sent back to their ships. Then the flames 
broke out afresh. For years the resentment of 
the Valparaisans remained so hot that it was 
inadvisable to land in the town, men from the 
British ships." 

A correspondent from the Herald, Mr. Car- 
penter, who later became the secretary of our 
legation in Chile, had been living aboard the 
Vanderbilt until the day before the bombardment. 
He went ashore then, and took up his quarters 
in the Hotel de Chile, whose proprietor, Landais, 
was a Frenchman. Early the next morning 
Carpenter started for a post of observation and 
safety on the hills, urging his host to accompany 
him. The Frenchman emphatically refused, de- 
claring that if the Spaniards dared fire a single 
shot at the Hotel de Chile, he would let loose the 
Emperor Napoleon and all "la belle France" 
upon them. Carpenter said about ten minutes 
after the firing began he saw a shot strike the 
tiled roof of Landais' imperially protected hotel, 
and go glancing up it, spreading destruction as 
it went. In a flash, out rode Landais on a big 
donkey, a mattress lashed to his back to ward 



158 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

off projectiles. He headed for the hills, and as 
he rushed past Carpenter, his eyes bulging to 
such an extent they could have been brushed 
off with a hat, the latter called to him to stop, 
as the danger line was passed, but he paid no 
attention. He knew if he could only get the 
Andes between him and the guns, his safety would 
be assured, and he kept on. 

In fact, there was only one citizen who weathered 
the storm in Valparaiso that day, and as he was 
dumb, he could never tell of his experience. When 
we first anchored at Valparaiso, the officers of the 
Mohongo told us of a dog who had taken up 
his quarters on the mole, and levied a tariff 
on American officers in uniform. He required 
silver coin, disdaining copper. When he had 
secured the proper coin, he trotted off to a certain 
butcher's and exchanged his money for meat. 
It was even said — though I will not vouch for 
the truth of this — that when contributions had 
been unusually generous, he used to bury his 
bank roll, drawing upon it when necessary. 

Collector, or Revenue Jack, as he was sometimes 
called, fearless of Her Catholic Majesty's squad- 
ron, was at his usual post on the mole when the 



THE BOMBARDMENT OF VALPARAISO 159 

storm broke. Our boats had been in early to 
bring off any Americans who preferred viewing 
the bombardment from the water instead of the 
hills, and after they had returned to the ships, 
Collector was remembered, and keen were the 
regrets that he had not been taken aboard. Mr. 
Carpenter, who was armed with a powerful glass, 
said afterwards that before the whole scene was 
obscured by smoke, he could make out the old 
dog, jumping about on the mole as it was raked 
and torn by shot and bursting shells. When 
our boats with fire parties pulled swiftly for the 
landing, some one shouted, "There he is!" and 
in a few minutes we were greeting and rejoicing 
over the excited and lone defender of Valparaiso. 
Not long after this, the Vanderbilt and Monad- 
nock sailed for Callao, leaving the Powhatan and 
Tuscarora behind to await orders from Admiral 
Pearson. For hours after leaving port, we kept 
Aconcagua, the loftiest of the Andes, in sight over 
our starboard quarter, though it was already 
distant one hundred and ten land miles from our 
starting point. We had left the Spanish fleet 
at Valparaiso, but owing to the Monadnock's 
slow rate of speed, it must have caught up with 



160 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

us on the way north, for just after we made 
San Lorenzo, the high island outside of Callao, 
it was seen in the offing. It was then the custom 
in our service, dating perhaps from the attack 
upon the unprepared Chesapeake, to carry guns 
loaded while at sea, removing the charges when 
in port, and so, as we neared Callao, the first 
lieutenant came up to ask the captain's permis- 
sion to send the crew to quarters. Captain 
Sanford turned upon him sharply, "What! un- 
load the guns now, with the Spanish fleet close 
aboard?" 

The Commodore, who was standing near, half 
jokingly, half reproachfully asked, "Did you 
have them loaded, Captain, at Valparaiso.^" 

This was the only time I ever heard him show 
any feeling about the captain's protests and 
opposition. 

In coming to Callao, we had known that we 
should probably witness another bombardment, 
but in this case the object of attack was very 
far from being defenseless. In fact, so well 
prepared were the Peruvians that it was said 
that Nuflez had received an intimation from home 
not to jeopardize his fleet in an action with shore 



THE BOMBARDMENT OF VALPARAISO 161 

batteries, but he felt that his country had lost 
honor in the eyes of other nations by the bom- 
bardment of Valparaiso, and Castilian pride 
demanded that he should fight at Callao. 

The Spanish fleet anchored under San Lorenzo, 
while ours took up a position nearer the town. 
Callao, which was really the port of the capital 
city, Lima, a few miles inland, was much less 
populous than Valparaiso, and was defended by 
a citadel and heavy batteries. We found the 
Peruvians had about sixty guns of the average 
caliber already mounted, and were working 
desperately upon six heavy Armstrong rifle 
guns, but I think only two of these — three- 
hundred pounders — were in readiness when the 
battle began. They also had a small monitor, 
but she was neither heavily armed nor armored. 
We heard that they had among their forces 
several oflBcers who had served in our Union 
and Confederate armies. There were also two 
or three ex-Confederate naval oflBcers in Callao 
at this time, but whether the Peruvians made 
use of their services I do not know. 

The battle of Callao commenced a little after 
noon, on the second of May, 1866. The iron- 



162 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

clad Numantia led the right wing, her companions 
being the frigates Blanca and Resolucion. The 
frigates Villa de Madrid, Beranguela, and the 
newly arrived Almanza formed the left wing. 
All the merchant shipping had been shifted to 
the northward of its usual anchorage, and the 
Monadnock and the Vanderbilt lay off the town, 
a position that gave us an excellent view of the 
battle, and was — the Commodore considered — 
out of gunshot of the smooth-bores, while as the 
only two rifled guns were mounted at the northern 
end of the line of batteries, we were well to the 
right of their line of fire. 

The Numantia, or one of the Peruvian batteries 
just beyond her — we could not tell which — 
opened the engagement, and immediately sixty 
guns on shore and half of the two hundred and 
seventy-five afloat came into action. A thick 
pall of smoke hung over the bay, pierced by 
flashes from the guns, whose steady roar was 
almost appalling. Presently the cloud began to 
drift away in spots, and our attention centered 
on the Beranguela, which seemed to be entirely 
enveloped in smoke or dust. As it gradually 
cleared, we could see a large opening in her side, 



THE BOMBARDMENT OF VALPARAISO 163 

amidships. She headed out at once, and as she 
passed us, steaming at full speed for San Lorenzo, 
she was listed well over to keep afloat. A boat 
from our ship, carrying both surgeons, pulled 
under her bows to offer medical assistance, but 
the captain, shouting that he must save his ship, 
would not stop. Ten minutes later, the Villa de 
Madrid made signals, and the gunboat Vincidora 
steamed in, and gave her a line, so it was evident 
that her boilers or machinery were disabled. 
With such a heavy battery as she had, it might 
have been expected that she would take the 
gunboat alongside and remain in action, and we 
were somewhat surprised when we saw her being 
towed over to San Lorenzo. 

The Resolucion hauled out after two o'clock, 
but later returned and fought for nearly an hour, 
when she again retired. The Blanca held out 
until almost four o'clock. Her captain, Topete, 
who was badly wounded in this action, later 
became Minister of Marine, and when in com- 
mand at Cadiz, started the revolution that 
overthrew Queen Isabella. The Numantia and 
her brave consort, the Almanza, fought until 
sunset, when the battle ended. The Numantia 



164 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

was practically uninjured, but the intrepid Nunez, 
who had refused to go behind her armor, because 
he wished to share the dangers to which his 
companions on the wooden ships were exposed, 
was severely wounded. We were told that Prado, 
the President of Peru, had been helping to serve 
the guns on shore, and his Secretary of War 
had been killed in one of the batteries. 

About four o'clock, we had seen a boat pull 
over from the Almanza to the flagship, and were 
informed that she was taking the Almanza' s 
captain, Sanchez, over to confer with the Admiral. 
The conference ended, Sanchez returned to his 
ship and continued the fight. 

It was my outspoken admiration for this 
bravely fought ship and her captain that was 
the occasion for a talk with Commodore Rodgers 
that made an indelible impression on me. Mr. 
Bush had told us once that the positions the 
Commodore took in an argument, which so often 
surprised us, came in many instances from a 
desire to get the viewpoints of others. But 
sometimes there was more beneath the surface, 
as I learned on this occasion, to my sorrow. 
I had just given vent to an outburst of enthu- 



THE BOMBARDMENT OF VALPARAISO 165 

siasm for the gallant Sanchez, when the Com- 
modore, overhearing me, made some remark 
about "the pride and obstinacy of a Spaniard." 
Although I felt this opinion might have been 
advanced for argument's sake, I was still con- 
siderably nettled because the enthusiasm I had 
shown had been quenched in such an unlooked- 
for manner, and seeing what I thought a vul- 
nerable point that I could seize on, I said, "Well, 
to my mind, the Almanza is a nobly fought ship, 
and I know of none in our war, except one, that 
was more determinedly kept in action." 

"Indeed!" said the Commodore, much in- 
terested in such a positive statement. "What 
ship was it?" 

"The Galena in the James River," I answered 
promptly. 

In an instant the Commodore's face, which 
had been all eager inquiry, clouded over. He 
turned away, motioning for me to follow. It 
was not till we were quite alone that he began, 
so slowly and seriously that his words have never 
been forgotten, "The Galena was a mistake. 
The monitor was the right principle. We could 
not afford mistakes, fighting in such a war, and 



166 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

with the danger of foreign interference. I had 
to prove the Galena a mistake. The poor fellows 
who died on board her that day did not die in 
vain." 

My satisfaction in what I had thought a smart 
rejoinder had totally crumbled by this time, and 
I could only brokenly express my regret, but the 
regret was even then tempered by the feeling that 
I had gained a still clearer idea of the character 
of the man before me, and a new knowledge of 
life's values. The deep sadness of the Com- 
modore's face, as he uttered those few words, 
taught me that what the world regards as glory 
may weigh but slightly against the heavy re- 
sponsibility such a man must face, when he 
communes with himself. 



CHAPTER VII 

The Wreck of the Suwanee 

Many of us, knowing how well and devotedly 
Commodore Rodgers had served his coun- 
try and how great were his natural abilities, felt 
that he had been insuflficiently rewarded, and 
that he should at least have been advanced 
a grade. But once, when this subject was touched 
upon, he said that he considered the country 
had treated him generously. Contact with such 
an officer and his ideals could not but have 
its effect upon the young men serving under 
him, making them feel that good and even 
heroic services should be rendered, not for the 
sake of rewards, but in return for the education 
given them and for their honorable life positions. 

Commodore Rodgers has not been the only 
officer to express these views. Admiral John C. 
Watson, the personal aide and favorite of Farragut, 
when claims were being made for his advance- 

167 



168 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

ment, requested that they be not urged ; the 
intrepid Cassel entered his protest against the 
promotion given him over his brother officers ; 
and even the wonderful Gushing, whose exploits 
were said "to have spoiled romance", never com- 
plained of their meager recognition by an advance 
of one grade. 

These truly chivalric men felt that a promotion 
nobly earned, nobly inspired, but that an advance 
undeserved brought dishonor to the recipient, 
depressed the worthy who were passed over, and 
encouraged the selfish and unscrupulous who pos- 
sessed regrettable influence. 

It has been this spirit permeating our naval 
service that has made it what it is — able to keep 
its eflficiency through long periods of peace, and 
to give a fine account of itself when the hour for 
action has arrived. 

From Callao we sailed for San Francisco, stop- 
ping at Panama, Acapulco, Magdalena Bay, and 
San Diego on our way. This was my first ac- 
quaintance with the magnificent mountain scenery 
of the west coasts of Central America and Mexico. 
Later in life, many of the mountain peaks seemed 
as familiar as the faces of old friends, I used their 



THE WRECK OF THE SUWANEE 169 

summits so often in triangulation work. Colima, 
Isalco, and Ometepe wore feathery plumes of 
smoke on their superb heads, for they were active 
volcanoes. We passed close enough to the spot 
where the Golden Gate lay beached to have a good 
look at the remains of that ill-fated steamer. She 
was wrecked when on her way from San Francisco 
to Panama, her treasure room full, and many of 
her passengers going home with fortunes from the 
gold fields. We had been told that when the 
catastrophe occurred, and some of these people 
in their rage and despair were flinging on deck the 
bags of dust and nuggets so useless to them then, 
one man who was known to be a powerful swimmer 
went about picking up the golden harvest and 
loading his pockets with it. When the steamer 
had nearly reached the beach, the flames swept 
aft, driving all before them into the sea. This 
man leaped with the rest, but was so heavily 
weighted with his precious freight that he went 
down like a stone, a victim to his greed. 

A San Francisco wrecker who looted the treasure 
room of this steamer met with better fortune. He 
sailed with his gains to his home city, where he 
immediately became involved in a dispute with 



170 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

the courts over the question of ownership. But 
while the pubHc attention was thus centered on 
him in San Francisco, another of his schooners 
was busily working away at the wreck, and 
before the lawyers had finished wrangling, she 
had secured over a million in gold, which was sent 
abroad. 

When we reached San Francisco, Commodore 
Rodgers left us. Danger of a war with France 
was practically over by that time, Louis Napoleon 
having agreed that his troops should be withdrawn 
from Mexico, a third at a time. The Commodore 
went home overland, but as the Union Pacific 
Railroad was not then completed, I believe he 
had to make a part of the journey on horseback, 
under the escort of a United States troop of 
cavalry. Admiral Henry Knox Thatcher took 
his place. 

San Francisco, though by no means the metrop- 
olis of the present day, was the first American 
city of any size that we had seen since leaving 
Philadelphia. It was stirring with picturesque 
life and movement, and most of this was con- 
centrated on the water front. Montgomery 
Street was then the principal thoroughfare, and 



THE WRECK OF THE SUWANEE 171 

there were very few business buildings beyond 
Kearney Street. The only large hotels I can 
remember were the Occidental, the Cosmopolitan, 
and the What Cheer House, the last catering 
almost entirely to miners. It was always 
crowded to the doors, and one could pass an 
entertaining half hour at any time, standing in 
its lobby and watching its patrons as they came 
in to register, often with their fortunes and all 
their personal effects in their belts and upon 
their backs. 

I recollect two theaters, the Metropolitan and 
Maguire's Opera House, though there may have 
been others. I had a very slight acquaintance 
with their interiors, for theater tickets, like many 
other things, were very high priced in San Fran- 
cisco in those days, and our pay proportionately 
low, when we came to exchange our greenbacks 
for gold on shore. My month's salary as an en- 
sign — one hundred dollars in greenbacks — 
shrank to about half when exchanged for specie. 
However, as we were in three watches, our shore- 
going was naturally limited, and our forced 
economies did not trouble us much. I remember 
one of the things that impressed me most, in a 



172 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

city so full of a rough and adventurous element, 
was the scarcity of policemen. I was told that 
there were only about two hundred in all, but 
my informant added meaningly that the Vigilance 
Committee was still a name to conjure with, and 
that lamp-posts and rope made an effective com- 
bination in the hands of peace-loving citizens. 

The greater part of the time that I remained 
on the Vanderbilt was spent in San Francisco 
harbor, with the exception of one trip which we 
made to Honolulu. Queen Emma, the wife of 
Kamehameha V, had just returned to this country 
from a visit to England, and we were detailed to 
give her a passage home. Admiral Thatcher 
turned over his cabin to her and an Englishwoman 
in her suite, a Miss Spurgeon. The queen was 
an agreeable and cultivated woman, but the 
English companion was a good deal of a trial to 
the Admiral. She generally contrived to lead 
the conversation at meals to "odious" com- 
parisons between the North and South, always 
assuming that every one must concede the latter 
to be immensely superior, though of course if she 
were wrong in these views she was amiably anxious 
that the "dear Admiral" should set her right. 



THE ¥/RECK OF THE SUWANEE 173 

The restraint which the Admiral's chivalry put 
upon him, while in the cabin, was usually followed 
by a terrific outburst as soon as he reached the deck. 
During the month we were anchored in the 
harbor of Honolulu, Queen Emma kept the 
ship's company generously supplied with fresh 
provisions, ranging from vegetables to cattle. 
One day, a young bull managed to break loose, 
after being hoisted on board, and as he was an 
active animal, he soon cleared the forecastle. 
The crew came rushing down the port gangway. 
I was officer of the deck at the time, and hearing 
the tumult, I came hurrying over to check it. 
The men, more concerned about the bull than 
my orders, paid no attention, but swept on, and 
luckily I got a clue to their behavior by a sight 
of horns and tail flourishing in the rear. In a 
second I had joined the rout. I made a jump 
for the rail, which was low and had a molding 
outboard, and there I clung, watching the 
triumph of his Bullship, who for a brief space 
had the entire deck to himself. He was finally 
entangled with ropes dropped from the rigging, 
and being thrown down, was dragged off, still 
snorting defiance. 



174 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

Among the quantities of fowls sent off by 
Queen Emma were a number of gamecocks, or so 
the men chose to consider them. Each mess in 
the ship's company had its champion, of which it 
proudly boasted, while the cocks themselves 
crowed a challenge to all comers. One after- 
noon, a sailor who had been amusing himself 
fishing for gulls with the usual outfit of cord 
and salt pork, happened to catch one. He put 
his captive in a vacant chicken coop, and some 
one suggested introducing a gamecock to see if 
a fight could be brought off. The rooster was 
ready. As soon as he landed in the coop and 
discovered the other bird, he uttered a shrill crow, 
and ruffling his neck feathers for war, flew at the 
gull and spurred him severely. The gull was 
visibly surprised. He was lonely and strange in 
his new surroundings, and had rather welcomed 
the advent of the cock as a companion in misery. 
He drew back into his corner to meditate on this 
turn of affairs, but the little feathered bomb flew 
up again and hit him another smart clip. When 
this happened a third time, it seemed to occur to 
him that this other bird actually meant to be 
unpleasant. He suddenly darted forward, and 



THE WRECK OF THE SUWANEE 175 

seizing the rooster by the head, made a valiant 
and determined attempt to swallow him entire. 
When he finally gave up, and that gamecock 
got his head out of chancery, he was absolutely 
quelled, and his only idea was to find a space 
between the slats of the coop wide enough to 
squeeze through. 

A second and a third champion entered the 
lists and were disposed of in the same way. The 
gull did not wait for them to declare war. He had 
found that "watchful waiting" did not pay. I 
then insisted that the victor should be freed. 

Prince — afterwards King — Kalakaua was a 
frequent visitor to the Vanderbilt. He came off 
one day for lunch, bringing with him, as a con- 
tribution to that meal, a roast dog, a highly rated 
native delicacy. He explained that it was poy 
fed, and I think was a little disappointed that we 
did not take to it with more enthusiasm. 

The heir to the throne, Prince Billy, as he was 
called, spent nearly all his time at Waikiki, swim- 
ming among the breakers like a fish, or drinking 
like one, on shore. I never remember seeing him. 

About seven months after we left Honolulu, I 
and several other officers were transferred from 



176 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

the Vanderbilt to the Suwanee, sl double-ender, 
whose captain was Commander Young. He died 
soon after we joined the ship and was succeeded 
by Commander Richard L. Law. We were lying 
at Panama at this time, where we had just relieved 
the Dacotah. A massacre, which had taken 
place at Panama, and in which a number of 
Americans returning from California had been 
killed, caused our Government to keep a vessel 
of the Pacific squadron at that port, except at 
those times when an English man-of-war could 
undertake the duty. On several occasions it 
had been necessary to land an armed force, but 
as a rule the presence of the ship was enough to 
protect foreigners and their property. Yellow 
fever was much dreaded in those days, and with 
reason. One of our ships, the Resaca, during her 
stay at Panama, had lost twenty-five men out of 
a crew numbering less than two hundred, and 
when she passed us near Acapulco on her way up 
the coast, she still had many sick on board. 
Under these conditions, of course, very little shore 
leave was granted. One day, however, two of 
our oflScers, Lieutenant Commander Wood and 
Ensign Wilson, with their boat's crew, were 



THE WEECK OF THE SUWANEE 177 

given permission to go ashore. They wanted to 
visit the ruins of the old tower, the only vestige 
left to mark the site of Old Panama, the city 
destroyed two centuries before by Morgan and 
his buccaneers. It came near being a fatal visit 
for them. 

The party, having made a landing, left one man 
to look out for the boat, which was drawn up on 
the beach. Unfortunately, this man, or rather 
boy, was an inexperienced landsman, and took a 
crazy notion to experiment with his charge in 
the absence of the others. They had not gone 
far when they heard wild cries for help, and 
rushing back to the beach, saw their boat, her 
bow pointed to sea and her jib set, already some 
distance from the shore. Her panic-stricken 
occupant, in answer to repeated shouts to "haul 
down the jib ", threw himself down in the stern 
sheets and stretched his arms despairingly to the 
little group on the beach. Seeing it was useless 
to expect anything from him. Wood and Wilson 
began to look about for some means of pursuit, 
and finally found an old native canoe, hollowed 
out from a single log. In this frail and treacherous 
craft they courageously put off, and as they be- 



178 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

came more accustomed to the use of the paddle, 
were gradually gaining on the boat, when the 
breeze freshened, and she began to draw away 
from them. It was then that the desperate nature 
of their venture came upon them, for with the 
breeze, the sea was getting up, and it was doubt- 
ful if they could have returned to the shore, even 
had they been willing to give up all hope of 
rescuing the author of their troubles. They 
continued to shout to him to lower the sail, but 
with absolutely no effect. 

The sailors left upon the beach watched 
pursuers and pursued out of sight, and then 
began the six-mile walk into Panama. It was 
nearly evening before they reached their ship, 
and as all knew it would be a matter of several 
hours before she could get up steam, and the 
breeze was carrying the two boats to the east- 
ward all the time, off the track of the few steamers 
coming to Panama, it was felt that there was 
practically no hope of a rescue. 

The improbable occurred however, as it some- 
times does. An English man-of-war, the Malacca, 
commanded by Captain Oldfields, was coming up 
the coast under sail and stood well over to the 



THE WRECK OF THE SUWANEE 179 

eastward. She was just putting about when 
cries for assistance were heard in the darkness. 
She rounded to, and in a few minutes a canoe 
manned by two almost exhausted but very thank- 
ful young men came alongside. A little later 
the boat with its prostrate occupant was sighted 
and hoisted on board, and before the night was 
over, the Suwanee had her full complement again. 

I had had two promotions while on the Vander- 
bilt. I was promoted to the grade of master, in 
'Q6, and to that of lieutenant in '67. When we 
went north to San Francisco in the Suwanee, 
I passed my examination for lieutenant com- 
mander, reaching this grade at the age of twenty- 
four. We did not remain long in San Francisco, 
having received orders to proceed to Alaska, which 
had only recently come into our possession. We 
went first to Victoria, Vancouver, and after a 
short stay, started on our way to Sitka. 

We got no farther than the northern end of 
Vancouver Island. We were running out of 
Johnson's Straits the morning of July 7. It was 
about six o'clock, and I had the deck. We were 
traveling at full speed, with the current adding 
two or three knots, when the ship struck an un- 



180 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

known rock, and almost instantly became a 
complete wreck. The impact was so great that 
men were thrown from their feet, and those of 
the crew who were sleeping were pitched from 
their hammocks. A few who were temporarily 
demoralized ran to the boats, but the watch on 
deck behaved admirably. The marines went 
promptly to their stations at the boat-falls, and 
by the time the captain and officers reached the 
deck, and Sanders, the executive, relieved me, 
comparative quiet was restored. The engine 
was stopped at once, so there was a full head of 
steam to blow off. The captain — whom the 
shock had thrown from the transom where he was 
sleeping — called to me as he came up the com- 
panion way to know if I had sounded the pumps. 
I answered, "Why, Captain, the whole bottom 
is torn out of her, from bow to amidships." In- 
deed she had already started to break in two. The 
bow was settling, and the deck planking beginning 
to separate. All at once, with a splintering crash, 
she parted through the gun ports, just forward 
of the hurricane deck. About thirty men were 
left on the forecastle, and the captain asked if I 
could get across and join them. I managed it 



THE WHECK OF THE SUWANEE 181 

easily enough, and though the bow of the ship 
had completely gone under, the rest of her was 
so high upon the rock that we were able to get 
at the storerooms and broke out a number of 
barrels of beef and pork. The executive shouted 
across to us to cut away the rigging, so that the 
foremast would fall over the side, but as the mast 
and rigging would have been our only refuge if 
the ship slipped from her position into deep water, 
I protested against this. Even then the deck 
was so steeply inclined that we had to use the 
cleats and ropes to keep our footing. 

A grating that chanced to drop overboard 
was instantly seized by the force of the current, 
and sucked under the ship, and this was too 
much for the nerves of our chief boatswain's 
mate. I had already suspected this man of 
cowardice, and now I saw him making a stealthy 
attempt to reach the after part of the ship. I 
was about to call attention to him, when Chap- 
man, one of our petty officers, intervened. "Let 
him go, Mr. Clark ! The cur is demoralizing the 
men!" 

A little later, when the provisions we had broken 
out had been hauled over by lines to the hurri- 



182 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

cane deck, all hands assembled there, and the 
boats were manned and loaded. The after end 
of the ship was by this time well under water also, 
and as I had had no opportunity to go to my 
stateroom, I should have lost all my effects, had 
it not been for the thoughtfulness of Ensign 
Perry, and a sergeant of marines named Burke. 
They had snatched the blankets from my bunk, 
and emptying the contents of drawers and stowage 
places into them, had tied them into a bundle 
by the four corners. So nearly all my things were 
saved. 

We were near Hope Island, and the boats were 
able to land behind a point, but in spite of its 
protection, the sea was running heavily enough 
to capsize the first three or four. When it came 
my turn to shove off, the captain asked me to 
take charge of his kit, saying he was going to 
trust it to my management, or luck. When we 
pulled in, it looked at first as if we were really to 
make a successful landing, but a few moments 
after our bow touched the beach, a heavy roller 
caught us under the quarter, and turned the boat 
over, only two or three of us managing to jump 
clear. Luckily, the water was deep enough to keep 



THE WRECK OF THE SUWANEE 18S 

us from being crushed among the rocks when the 
boat rolled over us. The captain's faith was 
justified, for his effects had been pitched ashore 
at once and landed high and dry, but mine were 
submerged with me. As they floated to the sur- 
face, an Indian — there were a number of them 
hovering about in canoes — seized the bundle and 
started to make off with it, but one of our people 
who saw what was happening pulled a rifle on 
him, and compelled him to restore my property. 

Everybody having landed safely, the captain 
that same day sent Lieutenant Commander 
Frank Wildes, in charge of one of the ship's boats, 
with orders to proceed through the Gulf of Georgia 
to get help from Victoria, or one of the Puget 
Sound ports. He had not gone far when he 
fortunately fell in with H. M. S. SparrowhawJc. 
Her captain. Commander Porcher, took him and 
his crew on board, and started for Hope Island 
at full speed, arriving the second day after the 
wreck. The Sparrowhawk's prompt arrival was 
most welcome, for although we had built the best 
tents we could of awnings and sails, they were 
very inadequate protection from the heavy rains. 

As the Sparrowhawk' s capacity was limited, we 



184 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

soon realized that a number of us would have to 
be left behind. When the captain informed me 
that he meant to leave me in charge of this party, 
my feelings were somewhat mixed. The prospect 
of being stranded on Hope Island for an uncertain 
length of time was not particularly pleasing, and 
yet I was rather flattered that the captain had 
chosen me for a position of trust which he might 
have offered to any one of the three officers who 
were my seniors. He allowed me to select my 
men, those who volunteered to be preferred. 
Ensign Thomas Wilson, assistant engineers Green- 
leaf and Chasmar, and thirty -three men — all 
volunteers — were detailed. The captain's only 
instructions were that everything possible was to 
be saved from the wreck, and that a constant 
watch must be kept upon the Indians, who were 
gathering in great numbers. They were well 
armed, many of them having breech-loading 
rifles, like our own. The principal chief in the 
vicinity was called Cheap, and he looked upon 
the English as his natural enemies. 

The officers and men of the SparrowhawJc did 
everything possible for our people who were 
embarking with them, and also for those remain- 



THE WRECK OF THE SUWANEE 185 

ing behind. Lieutenant Reginald Townsend came 
ashore repeatedly, bringing everything he could 
think of for my comfort, both from his personal 
effects, and what could be drawn from the ship's 
stores. We soon had our tents quite comfortable 
and rainproof, except for the heaviest downpours. 

When Chasmar volunteered to be one of the 
party left with me, I was quite concerned, for he 
was seemingly wasted with consumption, and 
during the year I had been with him had had 
eight or ten hemorrhages. I felt that the con- 
stant dampness and exposure would be almost 
fatal to one with his complaint. To my great 
surprise he seemed to benefit rather than otherwise 
by the camp life. There were five staff officers 
on the Suwanee, and as Chasmar outlived them 
all, I think he may be regarded as one of the earliest 
examples of what the open-air treatment can 
accomplish. 

The instant the departing Sparrowhawk had 
turned a point, Cheap, the "bad Indian", came out 
from behind another where he had been lurking. 
By good fortune, one of the marines in my party 
knew the Siwash dialect, so we had a powwow. 
Cheap proclaimed sovereignty over all the islands 



186 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

and waters in the neighborhood, and complained 
that the presence of the British gunboat had 
kept him from exacting his rightful tribute from 
the wreck. This must now be made good to 
him. I replied, through our interpreter, that 
there could be no question of tribute, for while 
I was on the island I was the one and only chief. 
The water in front was also under my jurisdiction. 
I would graciously permit the Indians to come 
into the bay however, provided they kept away 
from the beach in front of the camp, and did not 
approach it from the woods in the rear. That 
since we were not "King George men" with whom 
he was engaged in war, I would be glad to trade 
with him, and if he brought, or sent to the camp, 
every day, a deer, or a large salmon, tobacco, 
flannel, and blankets would be generously returned. 
Cheap seemed satisfied with these terms, and 
as he was a wily individual, and quite alive to 
his own interests, I really believe he used all his 
influence while we were there to keep the peace, 
but as the Indians continued to gather, and we 
knew that the fresh arrivals were avaricious, we 
still felt that there was some danger of an out- 
break. One day, when several hundred of them 



THE WRECK OF THE SUWANEE 187 

had congregated in front of our camp, and were 
showing a constant disposition to edge closer, we 
ran out a twelve-pound howitzer from its hiding- 
place in the woods. Having neither shrapnel nor 
canister, we had — this was the suggestion of 
Ingraham, a boatswain's mate — filled it nearly 
full of small cans packed with pebbles. We 
motioned the Indians to stand aside, giving them 
to understand in sign language that every living 
thing in our line of fire would cease to exist. When 
we had finally secured a clear field and let go, it 
seemed as if a perfect storm of hail had burst 
upon the waters of the bay. After the gun had 
been run back to its lair, we beckoned the aborig- 
ines to return, but very few accepted the invita- 
tion. Even our friend Cheap at his next visit 
seemed very ill at ease. In spite of the respect 
this manoeuver had inspired, we kept up all 
precautions. One commissioned oflScer, with a 
petty officer and four men, were on guard, day 
and night. I still had in reserve the threat of 
uncorking a bottle of smallpox, so effective, as 
Washington Irving tells us, in "Astoria." 

One morning, we found that a small steamer, 
the Otter, belonging to the Hudson Bay Company, 



188 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

had come to anchor off our camp. I had an 
interview with her captain and contracted with 
him to take us and such stores as were saved to 
Victoria. He was rather incHned to take advan- 
tage of our situation, we thought, and I conse- 
quently enjoyed his confusion and rueful protests, 
when I made him include among his receipts a 
quantity of brass tubes, which he had stowed 
away as part of his own cargo. We had intended 
to take them out of the wreck at low tide, but 
discovered the morning before we sailed that the 
captain had forestalled us at this work. 

On our way south in the Otter we met the 
Sparrowhawk coming north, just at the upper 
end of Seymour's Narrows. Her captain brought 
word from Admiral Thatcher that he was sending 
a small steamer, the Forward, to the scene of 
the wreck to bring us away, and that the Suwanee^s 
guns must be saved if possible. I concluded that 
I might as well continue in the Otter until we should 
meet the Forward, and it was not long after this 
that we sighted a large bay steamer, the New 
World, which it seemed had been sent in her 
place. On board was our navigator, Lieutenant 
Commander George V^^ood, Ensign Thomas Perry, 



THE WRECK OF THE SUWANEE 189 

and twenty of our men. The admiral had sent 
me permission to travel south at the first oppor- 
tunity, but Greenleaf, Chasmar, Wilson, and I 
decided to transfer to the New World and return 
with Wood to Hope Island. Perry took Wilson's 
place in the Otter. 

The New World had brought diving apparatus, 
and a professional diver, rejoicing in the eupho- 
nious title of "Billy the Bug", but when this 
gentleman saw the position of the wreck, he 
decided the risks were too great and declined the 
job. Hearing of this, Mirch, our gunner's mate, 
immediately volunteered his services. The day 
he began operations everything was favorable, 
and though the current was strong, the water 
was so clear that the hatches of the storeroom on 
the second deck below could be plainly seen. 
WTiile Mirch's armor and helmet were being ad- 
justed on the hurricane deck, the Indians, who 
had flocked to the scene in their canoes, were in 
a fever of excitement, which even their stoicism 
failed to conceal. A number of them, shepherded 
by Cheap, were roosting along that part of the 
ship's rail which had not been submerged. They 
kept a tight clutch on their canoes, and it was 



190 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

perfectly evident they would have jumped into 
them and viewed what was going on at a safer 
distance, if Cheap had not commanded them by 
motions to remain. He was a public character 
with a reputation to maintain, and could not 
afford to show any signs of fear. There were a 
few moments of terrible tension, when Mirch, 
who had been lowered to the spar deck, walked 
slowly along it, remaining an unnatural length 
of time beneath the water, as it seemed to them. 
But when he approached the steerage hatch, and 
began his descent into the deeper darkness below, 
flesh and blood could bear it no longer. It was 
too much even for Cheap. With a cry of terror, 
he leaped for his canoe and led the flight. We 
could see him and his followers still spattering 
water, as they rounded the point, and it was several 
days before they again honored us with a visit. 
Usually we would have been glad enough to 
have them keep away, but at this time it happened 
that Wood wanted to get some information from 
Cheap, and after waiting in vain for him to put 
in an appearance, finally decided to make a visit 
to his village. Wood and I were the only officers 
in the party, and we had our revolvers in our 



THE WRECK OF THE SUWANEE 191 

belts, but none of the men in our boat's crew were 
armed, as we considered that we were making 
a friendly call. We discovered soon after land- 
ing that the friendliness was all on one side. 
Cheap was not at home, and in his absence we 
found we were distinctly unwelcome. An ugly- 
looking half-breed, who was manifestly trying to 
foment the ill feeling against us, came up to me, 
gesturing and muttering excitedly, and before I 
knew what he was about, snatched the revolver 
from my belt. Quick as the action was, Wood 
was quicker. Before the half-breed could free 
my revolver of its leather guard. Wood's was at 
his head, and the cool contact of its muzzle caused 
him to hand back my weapon with almost comical 
rapidity. The other Indians, who had surged 
forward on this movement of their leader's, re- 
treated, and Wood, lowering his revolver slowly, 
motioned the half-breed to go, and he slunk off 
completely cowed. It occurred to me that it 
would have been prudent to have held him as a 
hostage until we were safely in our boat, but 
Wood's contemptuous treatment of him so im- 
pressed the other Indians that they gave us no 
further trouble. 



192 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

We saved all the ammunition in the after part 
of the Suwanee and her guns, with the exception 
of the forward one-hundred pounder. That the 
Indians did a little salvage work on their own 
account was proved in a curious way,, some 
twenty years later. Commander Hitchcock of 
our service was at that time recovering from an 
illness in a hospital at Victoria. One day, when 
his dinner was brought to him, he noticed that 
the silver spoon and fork lying on the tray were 
marked "Thomas Perry, IT. S. N." He ques- 
tioned the nurse and found that the two articles 
had been left at the hospital by a poor Indian 
who had been treated there, and who had insisted 
on bestowing the only valuables he had, in grati- 
tude for kindnesses received. Commander Hitch- 
cock was able to purchase the fork and spoon and 
sent them to their original owner, now a rear 
admiral on the retired list. 

On our way to Victoria, we had occasion to 
prove the power of the current in Seymour's 
Narrows, where a few years later the U.S.S. 
Saranac was lost. We were caught in the narrows 
by the full force of the ebb, and despite our 
utmost efforts, we were not able to win through. 



THE WRECK OF THE SUWANEE 193 

The chart states that the current there runs from 
six to nine knots, but although the New World 
could make eleven knots, she was unable to over- 
come it. Two or three times, by bottling up our 
steam until we came to the worst place, we 
managed to bring her bow almost to the end of 
the gorge, where she hung quivering for an in- 
stant, only to be swept back by the relentless 
force of the water. Finally we gave it up and 
ran into Plumper Bay, some distance above the 
entrance, where we waited for the flood tide. 

On our arrival at Victoria, we were somewhat 
disturbed to learn that this New World, in which 
by wording of the contract we were to continue 
our way to San Francisco, had been condemned 
as unsafe for even the enclosed waters of Puget 
Sound. There was no telegraphic communica- 
tion then with either Washington or San Fran- 
cisco, which left Lieutenant Commander Wood 
in an embarrassing position. He had to choose 
between entailing on the Government the extra 
expense of our passage on another steamer, an 
expenditure it might refuse to recognize, or the 
distressing alternative of risking more than fifty 
lives under his charge. The English admiral, 



194 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

Hastings, whose flagship the Zealous was lying 
at Esquimalt, showed much concern over our 
situation. He expressed the opinion that our 
admiral, Thatcher, could certainly not have known 
when he made the contract what a rotten hulk 
the New World was, and when he heard that Wood 
had decided he must try to get through in her to 
San Francisco, he strongly advised the engaging 
of another steamer. If our Navy Department 
censured such a course, which appeared unlikely, 
he would be glad to state that he had been respon- 
sible for the action as far as a superior officer in 
another service could be. Finally, during a visit 
he made to the New Worlds he declared that rather 
than see nearly sixty American officers and men 
put to sea in such a death trap, he would trans- 
port them in his own ship. It was a pity Wood 
did not feel himself in a position to accept this 
generous and considerate offer, for coming to 
public notice at a time when the Alabama claims 
were being adjusted, it might have helped to 
bring about a kindlier feeling between the two 
countries. 

After all, our old "death trap'' took us safely 
to San Francisco, but that was merely good luck. 



THE WRECK OF THE SUWANEE 195 

because for seven hundred miles, and during 
seventy hours, we ran over an absolutely glassy 
sea. Only once, in a long swell off Cape Mendo- 
cino, did she roll to her guards, and that roll 
brought everybody up on deck, ready to take to 
the boats at an instant's notice. 



CHAPTER VIII 

An Asiatic Cruise 

Detached from the Pacific fleet and ordered 
home, I took passage on the steamer Golden City 
for Panama. At Aspinwall, now called Colon, 
I transferred to the Alaska. She was just casting 
off her lines to leave the dock, when a messenger 
came running down it with orders for the captain 
to make fast again, and wait for passengers just 
arrived at Panama by a South Pacific steamer. 
They proved to be officers and men from the 
Dacotah, and the survivors of the Wateree and 
Fredoniay vessels destroyed by the earthquake 
wave at Arica; nearly three hundred in all. 
Among them was my classmate, George T. Davis. 
He asked me to visit his home, in Greenfield, 
Massachusetts, on the way to my own in Mont- 
pelier. I was very easily persuaded to do so, as 
I had a strong desire to see what changes five 

196 



AN ASIATIC CRUISE 197 

years had made in the features or the expression of 
his youngest sister Louisa, who when I had last 
seen her was a young girl. The visit resulted in 
our engagement, and we were married on April 8, 
1869. The Greenfield paper, in announcing the 
event, gave me a higher rank than I have ever 
attained since, referring to me as Charles E. 
Clark, Lieutenant Commanding the United States 
Navy. The usual announcement about presents 
" numerous and valuable " was not quoted. I 
should add that our marriage followed orders 
suddenly received by me to a ship, and that 
Mary, the next older daughter, wife of Senator 
Conness and mother of Lady Rich, had married 
one week earlier. Louisa Russell Davis, mother 
of Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Conness, was born at 
34 Beacon St., now the oflSce of the pubhshers of 
this book. 

We have two daughters, Mary Louise, married 
to Captain S. S. Robison, U.S.N. , and Caroline 
Russell, married to Captain C. F. Hughes, U.S.N., 
and one granddaughter, Louisa Russell Hughes.^ 

1 Captain S. S. Robison took part in the battle of Manila Bay 
and now commands the battleship South Carolina. 

Captain C. F. Hughes now commands the battleship New York. 
He was Chief of Staff of the battleship fleet with Rear Admiral 



198 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

In September, 1870, I became navigator of the 
monitor Dictator — the Richard Murphy as the 
sailors used to call her. She was then the largest 
of our ironclads, and also the most heavily ar- 
mored, but through some mistake in her con- 
struction she had only one turret, and her battery 
consequently was only half that of the Monadnock. 
Her overhang was nowhere less than four feet 
wide, and because of her great length, she would, 
when pitching in a heavy sea, strike this pro- 
jecting part with such force that it seemed as 
if the next shock must inevitably tear her open, 
and founder her. Many of her crew never went 
below in rough weather, saying they did not 
propose to be caught like rats in a trap, without 
even the chance for a swim. I remember a 
pilot who joined us at Tybee Roads, just below 
Savannah, who spent the greater part of two 
days and nights on the sloping awning above the 
turret, and vowed if he were ever fortunate 
enough to get on shore again, he meant to stay 
there. 

Charles J. Badger, when that officer, under orders to Tampico, pro- 
ceeded to Vera Cruz instead, arriving a few hours after the fighting 
began, landing reenforcements, and being in responsible command 
from that time on and when our heaviest losses were incurred. 




Rear Admiral Clark and Granddaughter^ Louisa Russell 
Hughes 



AN ASIATIC CRUISE 199 

On our way south from Hampton Roads, 
during what was generally known in the service 
as the first Cubic War, we encountered a gale 
while in the Gulf Stream and our wheel ropes 
parted. The space between deck and boilers 
was less than two feet, and as it was therefore 
impossible for men to repair the damage to the 
ropes with steam up, we were obliged to haul 
fires. So for hours we lay in the trough of a 
heavy sea, which swept our decks, submerging 
everything but the turret and the light deck 
extending from it to the smoke-stack. The tugs 
which were with us as consorts, the Standish and 
Triana, were absolutely useless. The first lost 
her rudder, and the engines of the second broke 
down. We saw nothing of the Standish during 
all that troubled night, and the one glimpse we 
had of the Triana we would have been very glad 
to forego. She came drifting down upon us out 
of the darkness, and for a moment it looked as if 
she were going to get caught under our overhang, 
which would have been fatal to us both, but 
luckily we had enough steam at the time to go 
ahead, and she just cleared us astern. When 
morning dawned, neither tug was visible, so we 



200 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

made for the Savannah River. We heard after- 
wards that they fortunately met, and effecting a 
combination like the blind man and the cripple, 
one towing and the other steering, they got into 
Charleston Harbor. 

Our captain, Edmund R. Calhoun, had had 
much experience with ironclads. He had served 
in monitors off Charleston during all the engage- 
ments there, and was in command of the Wehaw- 
keriy when having grounded at night, she was 
exposed the next day to a cross fire from Sumter 
and Moultrie. One of our young officers, who 
was conspicuous for his coolness and courage in 
all the emergencies of this trying cruise, was 
Wilson McGunnigle, a brother of the Lieutenant 
McGunnigle I reported to on board the Constitution 
when I entered the service. It was a loss to the 
navy when he resigned later to go into the banking 
business.^ 

Before ending this cruise, we went to Port 
au Prince, Hayti, in company with the flagship 
Severn and the Saugus. Santo Domingo was 



1 He was one of the guests invited by the Navy Department to take 
passage on the Oregon, when it was proposed to have her lead the in- 
ternational fleets at the opening of the Panama Canal. 



AN ASIATIC CRUISE 201 

then considering annexation to the United States, 
and as there was some idea that Hayti might 
wish to interfere, we were sent there to bully 
her into keeping her hands off. 

From Port au Prince, we went to Samana 
Bay, Santo Domingo, where the sentiment of 
the party in power seemed strongly in favor of 
annexation. I remember that the mulatto pilot 
who tried to induce our captain to let him take 
the ship into port was an enthusiastic partisan. 
He had voted several times already, he told us, 
and meant to vote again when he got ashore, 
and when we inquired about the proportion of 
those who were against the measure, he assured 
us that they were not allowed to vote at all. 
If there were truth in his account of affairs, it 
must be concluded that the eventual decision 
against annexing Santo Domingo must have 
come from the United States. 

All during our stay the authorities showed a 
great desire to ingratiate themselves with us. 
Captain Bunce of the Nantasket had a rather 
startling proof of this. He had sent a complaint 
to Governor Baez, whose brother was then 
president of Santo Domingo, about the insolence 



202 MY FIFTY YEAHS IN THE NAVY 

of one of the native boatmen. The governor 
promptly replied that he had identified the man, 
and had despatched him under guard to his 
brother, the president, with the request that he 
be shot at once. Bunce was obliged to send a 
horseman posthaste to prevent this too obliging 
evidence of national good will. 

My first shore duty was at the Naval Academy, 
Annapolis. I was there from 1870 to 1873 as 
an instructor and assistant to the commandant 
of midshipmen. I made one practice cruise on 
the Saratoga in company with the Constellation, 
On board the Saratoga was a boatswain's mate 
by the name of Brady, who will doubtless be 
remembered by others beside myself because of 
his absolute devotion to one of the oflScers. For 
this young man he desired all things good in the 
official line and was jealous of any distinction 
conferred on others. One Sunday, while the ship 
was in port, a letter from the Secretary of the 
Navy was read at general quarters, highly com- 
mending the gallantry of an officer who had 
saved the life of a man who had fallen overboard. 
That evening Brady rolled aft, and sidling up to 
his idol, who was pacing the deck, began a long 



AN ASIATIC CRUISE 203 

dissertation on what a fine thing it was for a 
young officer to have "one of them * condemna- 
tory' letters from the Secretary of the Navy, 
sir." 

"Of course it's a fine thing," agreed the officer, 
rather puzzled to know what the old man could 
be driving at, "but if you have any reference 
to me, Brady, I can't quite see how one is coming 
my way." 

"Why, I'll tell you, sir," said Brady, sinking 
his voice to a hoarse confidential whisper. 
"To-morrow I gets leave and comes back along- 
side, just after pipe-down, when you has the 
deck. As I steps for the gangway, I misses my 
footing and overboard I goes. And you in after 
me," he ended triumphantly. 

"That's a wonderful plan, Brady," said the 
young officer, smiling, "but you see it has one 
fatal drawback. I don't know how to swim." 

"Lord, sir ! that don't make no difference. 
Don't you be afeard to jump. I"ll hold you 
up till the boat comes." 

After my three years at the Academy I was 
ordered as executive to another monitor, the 
Mahopac, lying at Norfolk. They were rush 



204 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

orders, for war was again threatened with Spain 
on account of the Virginius affair, and all was 
hurry and hustle. I reached New York City in 
a driving snowstorm, too late to catch any night 
train south, and crossed over to Jersey City to 
be sure of the first train in the morning. It was 
a case of "much haste, less speed." The hotel 
clerk with whom I left word to be called chose 
that occasion to indulge in a fit, and I slumbered 
peacefully on through part of the next day. The 
hotel clerk's fit reminds me of a telegram that 
was sent by an officer to his wife, when his ship 
arrived at Hampton Roads after a European 
cruise. He had picked up many English expres- 
sions while abroad, and his telegram, when it 
reached the httle resort in • the Adirondacks 
where she was spending the summer, was worded 
"Arrived Hampton Roads ten a.m. Friday. 
Am fit." Of course the country operator knew 
that the last sentence must be incorrect, and 
when it came to the lady's hands it read, "Ar- 
rived Hampton Roads ten a.m. Had a fit." 
She very nearly had one herself, and her hus- 
band's unfortunate phrase cost him something 
in explanatory telegrams. 



AN ASIATIC CRUISE 205 

The Mahopac got off the day after her officers 
reported, some workmen from the navy yard 
going in her as far as Hampton Roads and work- 
ing to the last minute to stop the leaks which 
would have been fatal to a vessel of her class. 
Of course, in the general rush it had not been 
possible to make arrangements for anything like 
ordinary comfort in our living conditions. All 
stores had been tumbled aboard in the greatest 
haste and without any regard to order, and the 
four negroes shipped as wardroom boys must 
have been taken right out of the corn fields. 
They were quite hopeless as far as proper service 
was concerned, but we did contrive to get a little 
amusement out of them. Lieutenant Joseph 
Jones, a volunteer officer, much older than the 
rest of us, stage-managed the entertainment. 
A pitcher, with features painted on its smooth 
surface and a sheet dangling limply from its 
neck, hanging by its handle in a darkened state- 
room, made a "ghost" weird enough to inspire 
terror in the breasts of Salt, Mustard, Vinegar, 
and Pepper, as Jones had named our outfit in 
the order of their complexions. The knowledge 
that the "ghost" was the creation of Jones never 



206 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

seemed to help them at all. A boy told to go 
and get something from a certain room, would 
approach its curtain with eyes bulging, and the 
muttered protest, "I'se powerful skeered, sah, 
Missah Jones done been in dah," while his mates 
waited in a sort of fearful ecstacy for the moment 
when he would burst through the door, with his 
wool standing on end. 

One day Salt, the pantry boy, was so absorbed 
in watching the mental struggles of Pepper, who 
had been told to fetch something from the doc- 
tor's room, that he ventured too far from his 
own base, and Jones, shpping by him, set up a 
ghost to face him on his return. The wild yell 
and crash that meant the loss of a good part of 
our crockery told us that the flank movement 
had been only too successful. 

On our arrival at Key West, we found nearly 
everything we possessed in the way of a navy 
assembled there, the European and South Atlantic 
fleets having been recalled. Our all was not much 
at that date, but the Spaniards were no better 
off than we, so I imagine a fight would have seen 
us on the winning side. Nearly all our ships 
were fitted with spar torpedoes, and these were 



AN ASIATIC CRUISE 207 

expected to inflict great damage on the enemy, 
always providing he would stay quiet until we 
got alongside, and that we were not "hoist first" 
through the spar breaking, or the guys carrying 
away. 

But of course our chief concern was target 
practice, and a board of three oflficers was created 
to superintend it. They decided that six hundred 
yards was the proper distance to begin with, but 
our captain, O'Kane, agreed with me that this 
would bring the target absurdly close. He told 
me to set ours at two thousand yards, and he 
would go aboard the flagship and take up the 
matter with the authorities. He had scarcely 
pulled away when the three ofiicers composing 
the board arrived. They made themselves quite 
disagreeable over our failure to adopt the dis- 
tance they had suggested, and I had to send out a 
boat to bring the target in to the six-hundred- 
yard line. Executives of monitors in those days 
often fired the guns themselves, and I was gener- 
ally regarded as a good shot. Allowing for the 
vessel to sheer a little, I pointed ahead, waited 
for the contact, and fired, hoping my luck would 
stand by me. I knew it had when I saw the men 



208 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

crowding their heads into the port as the gun 
recoiled. "There ain't any target, sir!" cried 
one, as I stepped outside and was greeted by 
the long faces of the board. 

I put on an injured look and said regretfully, 
"Well, you see how it is. We can only get one 
shot a day, and our material for targets will 
have to be increased." 

Indeed, the little tent-shaped target was abso- 
lutely obliterated, its center stick having been 
struck at the base, and the Board, which had 
been eloquent about getting the admiral's ear 
and O'Kane's scalp, made a silent and solemn 
departure. 

The war flurry over, and the fleet dispersed, 
I went home for a short leave, at the end of which 
I received orders to the Asiatic station. As I 
was to go out by steamer from San Francisco, 
my wife and our two little girls, then nearly five 
and three years of age, were able to accompany 
me. 

An overland trip took longer then than it 
does now, but we were prepared for that and did 
not find it tedious. I remember there was a 
little ripple of excitement at one of the stations 



AN ASIATIC CRUISE 209 

on the plains where the east and west bound trains 
met, when some one pointed out Rochefort, the 
titled French Radical, among the passengers on 
the platform. He had just made his escape 
from the penal colony of New Caledonia, and 
having landed in San Francisco, was on his way 
east. 

We became much interested in two of our 
fellow passengers, a Mr. Power and his cousin, 
Mr. Codd. They were Irishmen and were mak- 
ing a world tour for the sake of Mr. Power's 
health. He had recently lost his seat in the 
House of Commons and was nervously used up 
and depressed. His cousin was supposed to 
supply the good spirits for the party, and as he 
had a lively fancy, I am sure that at times he 
managed to make Mr. Power forget his other 
troubles. Whenever the train stopped long at 
a station, it was Mr. Codd's habit to march up 
and down its platform with my children, having 
first effected a change of hats with one of them. 
His solemn air as he paraded along, the blue 
ribbons of his absurd headgear hanging over one 
eye, and a radiant youngster clinging to each 
hand, delighted the crowd and horrified Mr. 



210 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

Power, but his protests were only answered by, 
"We're from Dublin, after all, my dear fellow. 
Not quite English, you know." 

When we reached San Francisco and were 
confronted at the ferry by the long line of hack- 
men with their dangling whips, Mr. Codd ex- 
claimed, "They all know my name, by Jove! 
See how they're fishing for me ! " 

He and Mr. Power engaged one of these dis- 
cerning fellows for the next afternoon and took 
us all for a drive out to the Cliff House and Seal 
Rocks. Besides being pleasant in itself, this 
excursion was actually the means of putting money 
in my pocket, or perhaps I should say keeping it 
there. We chanced to meet the agent for the 
Pacific Mail Company that afternoon, and after 
watching my little girls who, dressed in sailor 
suits, were playing on the beach, he remarked 
that it would be a shame to charge those young 
mariners for their trip to China, and the Com- 
pany would consider it sufficient if I bought 
tickets for Mrs. Clark and myself. 

The good ship Colorado took us through to 
Yokohama in twenty-three days. She was a 
side- wheeler with a single engine, and had opened 



AN ASIATIC CRUISE 211 

the line to China and Japan when I was in San 
Francisco eight years before. During the whole 
trip of five thousand miles we encountered neither 
gale nor sail. 

I reported to Admiral Pennock in Yokohama, 
where he was flying his flag on the Hartford, 
whose cabin I entered for the first time since my 
memorable interview with Farragut. Pennock 
was a connection of Farragut's, by the way. 
He assigned me to the Yantic as executive. She 
was then lying at Shanghai, so I continued my 
trip on the Colorado, my wife and children dis- 
embarking at Nagasaki, to remain for the rest 
of the summer. 

Soon after I had joined the Yantic, we were 
sent to Amoy, where we arrested General Legendre, 
who without authority from the United States 
had accepted the position of military adviser to 
the Japanese in their first expedition to Formosa. 
He had been a general in our army, and had come 
out of the Civil War with little remaining of his 
natural self, for in addition to a glass eye and 
wooden leg, he had a wig and false teeth. It was 
said that he once tried to make an impression 
on the natives of Formosa by reducing himself 



£12 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

to his lowest terms in their presence, but no inter- 
est was shown until he removed his glass eye, 
when the assembly suddenly waked up, and 
expressed — through an interpreter — a desire 
to see him take out the other one. 

It was while we were at Amoy that our captain 
received some cabled instructions from Admiral 
Pennock, ending with the words, "Clark's family 
all right." Of course I knew that there must be 
some reason for this statement of what seemed 
to me an obvious fact, and a few hours later, 
when we heard that Nagasaki had been swept by 
the most terrific typhoon that had been remem- 
bered in years, I was grateful indeed for the ad- 
miral's thoughtfulness. The destruction had been 
almost unprecedented, and among the houses 
blown down was the one standing next the hotel 
where my family was staying. 

After seven months in the Y antic I was ordered 
to the Hartford as executive, and when she sailed 
for home, to the Kearsarge. The Kearsarge was 
then the largest ship left on the station, so when 
I offered to exchange with Craven, who was my 
senior, and who was attached to the Monocacy, 
I suppose I got credit for magnanimity to which 



i^'M-W 




AN ASIATIC CRUISE 213 

I was not entitled. I did not feel bound to confess 
that the change appealed to me, because I felt 
sure the Monocacy would soon go to Shanghai 
for extensive repairs. The rest of my cruise 
was spent on this ship, which was so long identi- 
fied with the Asiatic Station that when she was 
sold, only a few years ago, it must have seemed 
to the old seamen who had shipped on her, over 
and over again, as if it were their home that was 
being broken up. She had the light draft neces- 
sary for river work, and the Chinese, with refer- 
ence to her paddle wheels, used to call her "two 
side walkee." When I joined her. Captain Joseph 
Fyffe was in command. This officer claimed 
descent from "the first families of America", 
or in other words, the noble red man. He was 
inordinately proud of his ancestry, and any sug- 
gestion on the part of an Englishman or Scotch- 
man that he might be connected with the ducal 
family of Fife was always warmly resented. 
"Belong to that Flute family !" he would exclaim. 
"No, sir! I spell my name F-y-f-f-e, and come 
of a race whose ancestors were out for scalps, 
when those Scotchmen were stealing sheep from 
over the border ! " 



214 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

Though inclined to take himself and his family 
affairs rather seriously as a rule, he would often 
amuse us with accounts of his father-in-law, who 
was no other than Moody, the fighting parson of 
the Ohio Valley. Fyffe used to speak with 
enthusiasm of the fashion in which Mr. Moody 
conducted his meetings, jumping sometimes from 
his improvised pulpit — a plank resting on two 
barrels — to beat the heads of a couple of rowdies 
into a pulp, then hopping back like a rooster to 
his perch to lead the singing. When these energies 
were turned on the little country place his son- 
in-law was trying to beautify, however, they did 
not seem so admirable. There was quite a degree 
of pathos mixed with the humor with which the 
captain told how a lawn on which he had expended 
both time and love had" been ploughed and turned 
into a hayfield by the forcible old gentleman, and 
the young shade trees he had grouped with such 
care, uprooted and planted in straight rows. 

"The old cuss would walk up to one of them,'* 
said he, "put his arm around it as an elephant 
would his trunk, yank it out, and march off with 
it. Things got to such a pass that one day I just 
sailed out of my gate and shouted, * Brown County, 



AN ASIATIC CRUISE 215 

ahoy ! What will you give me for the whole 
blamed outfit ! Farm, fertilizers, father-in-law, 
and all!'" 

I never had occasion to regret my move to 
the Monocacy, for the duty in connection with 
her was thoroughly agreeable. We were in 
Shanghai for lengthy periods, did quite a bit of 
cruising about Japan, including some delightful 
weeks in the wonderful Inland Sea, and made 
one trip north to Tientsin, where luckily we did 
not tarry long. 

The hospitality in the Orient at that time was 
princely. Had Mrs. Clark and I been willing, 
we could have made our three years on the station 
one long visit from house to house. In fact we 
did once spend three months in Shanghai at the 
home of our Consul General, Mr. George F. 
Seward, a nephew of the great statesman of the 
same name. At this time he had just received 
his appointment as Minister to China, and as he 
was consequently obliged to pass a part of the 
winter in Peking, he urged us to stay on with 
Mrs. Seward, knowing that she and Mrs. Clark 
were devoted friends. Another Shanghai home 
that became familiar to us was that of Mr. and 



216 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

Mrs. Harrison. He was the manager of the 
Oriental Bank, then the largest banking concern 
in the Far East. If it had not been for the 
hospitable spirit that pervaded this home, it 
would have seemed a little too much like living 
in a palace, marble halls and all. The rooms 
were so stately that furniture had to be made 
especially with reference to them, and I remember 
the beds in the suite of rooms we occupied were 
so colossal that a family of giants could have 
slept in them very comfortably. Those were the 
days of long-drawn-out dinners, a regiment of 
wine glasses standing by each plate, and your 
own Chinese "boy" behind your chair, to see 
that you were served exactly as you would have 
been at home. I believe these customs are things 
of the past. In China, as elsewhere, it has ceased 
to be good form to play with food and wine through 
an entire evening, and though many in the Orient 
still put everything except their souls in the keep- 
ing of their "boys", they no longer consider it 
necessary to be served by them in a friend's house. 
There is a general impression that the China- 
man is a soulless machine in his relations with 
other races, dependable and even honorable in 



AN ASIATIC CRUISE 217 

business matters, but with no sentiment towards 
his employer, however well he may have been 
treated.^ And yet you will come across an excep- 
tion occasionally, as in the case of the comprador. 
Ah Tee, in Hong Kong. During our stay in that 
port, I made a point of having my little girls meet 
this old Chinaman, with the hope that they 
would remember him as one who had been a 
friend to their country at a time when she needed 
friends. It was touching to see the old man's 
pleasure in the recollection of his services, which 
can perhaps be best described by the insertion 
here of a few verses, purporting to be written by 
a poor relation of Truthful James. 

AH TEE 

By "Truthful Jack" 

My story begins in the year sixty-four, 
Which was durin' the time of our late Civil War. 
(And just by the way, which ter me its a mys'try 
That ain't never been cleared by my knowledge 
of hist'ry, 

1 It should be recalled that during the Boxer war there were 
Chinese converts who braved injuries and even death in defense of 
their foreign friends. 



218 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

When people are fightin' themselves like the devil. 
Why in 'nation should sech goin's-on be tarmed 

civil ?) 
Well, this ain't my tale, but its reely surprisin* 
How durned easy it is to start in moralizin*. 



'Twas our ship Saginaw, ter meander along. 
In her v'ygin' around had brung up at Hong Kong, 
A city in which if the heathen gits skittish 
They're put down mighty quick by the red-coated 

British, 
Who, if given to land-grabbin', yet I've hearn tell 
When they once git a country, kin govern it well. 
And to whatever part of this wide earth they go. 
They will make that same portion, "quite Eng- 
lish, you know." 

Now the Saginaw's crew, Cap'n McD. commandin', 

Was powerful glad in a port to be landin'. 

For pervisions were low, and their grog it was 

slacker. 
And they hadn't no coal, and still less of terbacker. 
But when Cap'n McD. hurried quick to the shore. 
For to buy out the town, and a leetle bit more, 



AN ASIATIC CRUISE 219 

He found — and to him 'twas a long ways from 

funny, — 
He couldn't git no one to look at his money. 

The slim little bank clerks remarked with a grin. 
It was yet on the cards that the Rebels might win. 
When the captain to this swore blank, blank, and 

dash, dash. 
They replied, "That may be, but we can't risk our 

cash." 
At the chandler's and grocer's he couldn't git 

trusted. 
For they "feared", which meant "hoped", that 

the North might go busted. 
And poor Cap'n McD. was reduced to despair. 
For his crew warn't the kind as could hold out on 

air; 
He was tired of being rebuffed an' rejected. 
When he run across help, in a way unexpected. 

'Twas a little old shop, in a dirty side street. 
And the odors about, — well, the same wasn't 

sweet. 
But within, grouped about in keg, bottle and can, 
Was all that could comfort the in'nards of man. 



£20 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

In letters promiskus, swung over the door. 
The name of Ah Tee, U. S. Ship's Comprador, 
An' Cap'n McD., with a very deep sigh. 
Thought before givin' up, he would make one last 
try. 

At the first look around at walls, counter and shelf, 
You'd have said that the shop was a-keepin' itself. 
But there presently came from the dark at the rear, 
A voice, which remarked in a gibberish queer, 
"Ah! you, Melican man, my long time no have 

see ! 
All Melican off 'cer he savy Ah Tee ! " 
And a little old heathen, his hair in a queue. 
And a welcomin' smile on his lips, stepped in view. 

Thinks McD. to himself, — "When I come to 

show down 
My paper, that smile will be changed to a frown." 
But Ah Tee looked at things in a different way, 
"Long time Melican sailor, he plenty good pay, 
"He my velly good fliend, all time speakee me tlue ; 
"S'pose this time losee money, maskee,^ my 

can do." 

1 Maskee = Never mind, no matter. 



AN ASIATIC CRUISE 221 

This trust from a heathen, the captain unmanned. 
Somethin' swelled in his throat, and he put out 
his hand. 

And that warn't all neither, for when he'd supplied 
The wants of the ship, and her crew satisfied. 
The day they weighed anchor to sail for Shanghai, 
Ah Tee paddled off for to tell 'em good-bye. 
Six big strappin' coolies in line followed him, 
And each carried a bag filled with "plunks" to 

the brim, 
Which they dropped on the deck at Ah Tee's 

invitation. 
While the old man proceeded to make an oration. 

Which the substance was this, — In all ports they 

would find 
As to money the "Blitish" of much the same mind, 
Banks and stores in Shanghai, "allee same" as 

Hong Kong ; 
So he'd brought "littee cumsha" ^ to help'em 

along. 
The speech rather sudden-like came to an end 
With this explanation, "You b'long my good 

fliend." 

* Cumsha = a present. 



222 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

And the very last sound, as the ship put to sea, 
Was the sailor-men shoutin', "Three cheers for 
Ah Tee!" 

Which is why I remark that our virtues and sins 
Don't always match up with the shade of our skins, 
And the somethin' that preachers tarm speeritchul 

grace 
Ain't confined to the people that own a white 

face. 
And if ever it happens that you, sir, and I 
Should enter them mansions they talks of, on high. 
Where the crooked comes straight, and the wrong 

is made right, 
We'll find that old Chinaman's record is white.^ 

M. L. R. 

1 This was not the only occasion on which Ah Tee lent a helping hand 
to the Saginaw and her commanding officer. Oddly enough, this 
vessel happened to be in Hong Kong some time later, when it was felt 
that war might break out between the United States and England on 
account of the Trent difficulty. The Saginaw, which had been laid 
up at that time, and her crew — reduced to two or three men — would 
have been an easy prize for the English, and McDougal, who had been 
left in charge, determined to remove her to the Portuguese port of 
Macao, if he could manage it. His first step was to send for Ah 
Tee and explain the situation to him. Ah Tee came off at nightfall 
with fifty coolies, and great was the astonishment of the English 
officers who had been joking McDougal about the amount of prize 
money that might come to them from the capture of his vessel, to 
see this ship, without a crew as they supposed, get under way and 
steam out of the harbor. 



AN ASIATIC CRUISE 223 

When we made our trip through the Inland Sea, 
Captain Fyffe, who was well acquainted with our 
Minister to Japan, Mr. Bingham — - they both 
came from the state of Ohio — invited him to go 
with us. The presidential contest was on at 
home, and Mr. Bingham was exceedingly anxious 
to learn whom the Republicans had nominated for 
President and Vice President. He began to get 
positively feverish about this at the time we were 
visiting the island of Miajima, one of the most 
beautiful spots in the Inland Sea. Its picturesque 
temples, its torii running out into the clear water, 
and the graceful, spotted deer wandering about 
its village streets were all indifferent to Mr. 
Bingham. Nothing would do but we must run 
across to some small settlement, where it was 
reported that a telegraph station had been estab- 
lished. After a long struggle with the native 
operator, a telegram was despatched, and the 
answer awaited with suspense. Finally the instru- 
ment commenced to tick, and the operator handed 
over a slip with the names "Crawford and Mul- 
cahy" inscribed on it. Mr. Bingham was reduced 
to despair. " That ends it ! " he said despondently. 
"If the party is that scared it doesn't dare run 



224 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

anybody that was ever heard of before, even in a 
state legislature, we're defeated at the start." 

He had no heart for scenery after that, and we 
made for the port of Kobe, where we learned that 
the Republican nominees were Hayes and Wheeler, 
and that Crawford and Mulcahy were the foremen 
of a railway construction gang, working on the 
line between Kobe and Osaka. 

It was during our cruise among these islands that 
I overheard the captain administering comfort in 
his own peculiar fashion to a party of Japanese 
who were visiting the ship. They were worried 
because some American missionaries had settled 
in their little community, and Christianity was 
on the increase. "Don't worry about the Chris- 
tians," said Fyffe consolingly. "We've always 
had them at home, and we don't trouble." 

"But do you have so many.^" was the anxious 
inquiry. 

"Do we?" exclaimed Fyffe, "Why, we're 
simply overrun with them!" and the delegation 
departed, seemingly reassured. 

At the end of our pleasant summer in Japan, 
we received orders to proceed to Tientsin on the 
Pei Ho River. It was then, as it is now, the near- 



AN ASIATIC CRUISE 225 

est port to Peking that could be reached by men- 
of-war, and the English, French, Russians, and 
Americans were each supposed to keep a vessel 
there. We expected to remain for the winter, for 
the Pei Ho freezes over when cold weather begins. 
We had been lying at our anchorage off Tien- 
tsin only a short time, when the captain concluded 
to change his position and drop a little further 
down river. I suggested that instead of getting 
up steam, he let me try to "club" her down. 
In "clubbing", one allows the anchor to drift 
along, just touching bottom, veering chain when 
it is necessary to bring the ship up. Our journey 
down-stream was brief, but full of incident. Our 
first move fouled the anchor of the English gun- 
boat Growler ; and we had scarcely got clear of her, 
when we became entangled with the cable of the 
French ship, the Surprise, and succeeded in pulling 
out her bitts and part of her rail. Of course there 
was a lively commotion on board, but our captain 
immediately became so vociferous about "club- 
bing" in general, and what he meant to do to me 
in particular, that the French commander's indig- 
nation for his ship almost disappeared in his con- 
cern for "ce pauvre M. Clark." 



MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

Ice had just begun to form in the river when we 
got word that Mr. Avery, our Minister, had died 
in Peking, and Captain Fyffe at once decided that 
it was his duty to take the body on board the 
Monocacy and leave for Shanghai. He offered his 
cabin to Mrs. Avery, and as he felt she would 
need companionship, he proposed that my wife 
and children should share his quarters with her, 
while I turned over my stateroom to him. I will 
merely remark here that Mrs. Clark certainly 
earned her passage. Mrs. Avery was in a terrible 
state, and one of her worst obsessions was the 
idea that her husband's body might be washed 
overboard at any time. Captain Fyffe thought 
it might soothe her if she imagined that a guard 
was always kept beside the remains, so whenever 
she was heard coming up the ladder for a walk on 
deck, the nearest sailor had orders to seize a 
cutlass and march up and down beside the flag- 
covered coffin. One morning, Mrs. Clark, who 
had appeared a little in advance of Mrs. Avery, 
noticing the sailor on guard had a frank pleasant 
face, asked me who he was. I looked, and seeing 
that he was the paymaster's assistant answered 
that he was the "Jack of the Dust." 



AN ASIATIC CRUISE 227 

"What!" she exclaimed, and I instantly saw 
what she must have thought. 

"Why, yes," said I, "don't you see? He's a 
sailor; that's Jack, and he's watching over the 
remains — the dust. I think it's a very appro- 
priate title." 

"What nonsense!" and she marched off with 
her head in the air to the officer-of-the-deck. 

"Mr. Nabor," I heard her inquire, "tell me, 
who is that sailor by Mr. Avery's coffin?" 

"That fellow?" said Nabor, turning to look, 
"why, his name is Jones, I believe." 

"No, no ! I mean what's his billet on the ship ? " 

"Oh! he's Jack of the Dust." 

This was confounding. She questioned an- 
other officer, who had just come up from below, 
and having received the same answer, could only 
conclude there was a conspiracy against her. In 
fact, I do not know of any good explanation of the 
name of this rating for the paymaster's assistant. 

Whether or not Captain Fyffe's move to Shang- 
hai was approved by the authorities, there was at 
any rate no chance of getting up the Pei Ho again 
that winter, so the long anticipated repairs at the 
Tunkadoo Docks began. During this stay in 



228 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

Shanghai, the first railroad laid in China was com- 
pleted, and through the courtesy of Mr. Seward, 
Mrs. Clark and I were among the favored few to 
ride in the train that inaugurated its opening. 
It was built to connect Shanghai with Woosung, 
at the junction of the Shanghai River and the 
Yangtse, but the Chinese, with their usual dislike 
for innovations, soon pulled up its rails, and some 
years passed before another was constructed. 

One objection to a long stay in port is that it is 
apt to be demoralizing to the crew of a man-of-war. 
It is hard to find enough employment to keep 
them busy and contented, and an executive oflScer 
is constantly on the watch for any disturbing 
element on board. We had this in the shape of 
an Irish coal passer named Gannon. While not 
actually bad, he was idle and worthless, much 
fonder of haranguing the other men than of doing 
his own work. I imagine that some of his dis- 
courses were meant to be incendiary, but he used 
to get so tangled up in long words that not only 
were his hearers thoroughly puzzled at times, but 
I think he was often quite at sea himself as to his 
real meaning. 

So, one day when Gannon overstayed his liberty. 



AN ASIATIC CRUISE 229 

I was not displeased, but feeling I must comply 
with the government regulation that a reward 
of not more than ten dollars must be offered for the 
return of a deserter, I sent a notice to the Shanghai 
police force that I would pay all of two cents for 
the apprehension of Gannon. This brought about 
his instant return, unattended. I refused to 
recognize him as Gannon, however, unless he came 
under police escort, and being obliged to concede 
this point, he stood on the dock and tried to make 
me admit that this man Gannon of whom we were 
talking was really worth more than two cents. 
When he found I was quite steadfast in my idea 
of values, he asked permission to come aboard and 
get Gannon's pay and belongings, and with these 
under his arm, turned to make his final farewell. 
**Good-by, me old shipmates!" said he, with a 
wave of his hand to such of the crew as were visible. 
"God bless you all ! God bless you. Captain, and 
you, sir," to the officer-of-the-deck. Then his eye 
falling on me, where I was standing a little to one 
side, he added reproachfully. "And God bless 
you too, Mr. Clark, to a sartin extint." ^ 

1 This incident was written up for Harper's Magazine shortly after 
my return from China, but as since then it has been told me by two 



230 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

When our repairs were completed, we made a 
trip up the Yangtse River. Our first stop was 
where the Grand Canal and the river unite, and 
our second at the city of Nanking, which we left 
the next afternoon, steaming about twenty -five 
miles above it before we anchored for the night. 
The captain was anxious to make a very early 
start in the morning, as he wished to reach Poyang 
Lake before dark. He had not been feeling very 
well that day, and told me that he should expect 
me to get the ship under way. I had heard it 
said that vessels had swung to the flood as far up 
as Nanking, but we were two hundred miles from 
the sea, and the thought that the tide could 
affect us occurred neither to me nor to our pilot, 
Mr. Jousberry. 

At the first faint sign of daylight we hove short, 
and as soon as Jousberry thought he could dis- 
tinguish the banks of the river and keep the 
channel, we got under way. As the sun rose, I 
went up on the paddle box to have a look around, 
and one of the first things I noticed were the walls 
of quite a sizable city some distance ahead. 

other officers as having happened to them, I think the time has come 
to prove ownership once more, and I repeat it here. 



AN ASIATIC CRUISE 231 

**Jousberry !" I called, "what city is this we're 
coming to on the north bank ? " 

"You must be mistaken," he answered. 
"There's no city along here." 

"Well, there certainly is one," I insisted, "and 
to me it looks very much like Nanking." 

"Impossible," said he, and then following the 
direction of my finger, gasped, "Great Scott! 
It is Nanking, and we're going down river ! We 
must have swung !" 

I asked, "Is there any place near here, wide 
enough for us to turn, without stopping and back- 
ing.^ The captain would be sure to notice if we 
had to back. He'd think we'd struck a snag and 
would be up on deck in a minute." 

Jousberry knew of a good place just below, and 
by taking the chief engineer Absalom Kirby into 
our confidence, we got her swung about and pointed 
up-stream. I then seated myself on the cabin 
hatchway, ready to head off the captain, should he 
decide to turn out. Pretty soon I heard him stir- 
ring, and unfortunately, Nanking was still in sight. 
I used every art I could muster to keep his atten- 
tion on me and away from the scenery. I even 
urged him to tell his favorite yarn, which I had 



232 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

heard so often I could have repeated it word for 
word, and when all else failed, I brought up the 
subject of the farm and his father-in-law. At last 
the obnoxious city had sunk out of sight astern, 
and when the captain made another start for the 
hurricane deck, I did not try to detain him. He 
soon began to notice remarkable resemblances to 
places we had passed the day before, and then he 
got out the chart, and made Jousberry's life 
wretched by demanding explanations. Jousberry 
only told the truth once that day, and that was a 
fatal mistake, for it led him into a perfect bog of 
conflicting statements. Of course we did not 
reach Poyang Lake, for we had nearly sixty lost 
miles to make up. As we were passing its entrance 
the next day, I approached the captain with the 
chart under my arm, but he declined to look at it. 
"Take it away!" he grumbled. "It's a delusion 
and a snare. I won't believe a thing about this 
river hereafter except what Jousberry tells me ! " 
We had expected when we left Shanghai that 
the limit of our trip would be reached when we 
anchored off the triple cities of Hankow, Woochang, 
and Hanyan, so it was an agreeable surprise when 
we got orders to proceed to Ichang, nearly four 



AN ASIATIC CRUISE 233 

hundred miles farther on, and to estabhsh a con- 
sulate there. China had just been forced by 
England to open Ichang as a port, and as we under 
the "favored nation clause" had equal privileges, 
our instructions were to get there as rapidly as 
possible. The English gunboat Kestrel also lying 
off the three cities had similar orders. 

Our race up the Yangtse lasted several days, for 
as the navigation was largely guesswork, the lead- 
ing ship was likely at any time to mark the posi- 
tion of a shoal or mud flat by piling up on it, where- 
upon her rival instead of assistance would give 
her three cheers, and steam on until she in her 
turn became a warning to mariners. A delay 
of many hours, just as we were nearing our goal, 
when we had to carry out our heaviest anchors 
before the ship could be floated, made us feel that 
the Kestrel had the race in her own hands, but a 
little later we passed her hard and fast on a partic- 
ularly vicious sand bar, and so we reached Ichang 
well in the lead. 

While there, we visited the remarkable caves 
and natural bridges in the vicinity. The former 
were easily accessible from the towing path that 
borders the rapids of the Yangtse, which them- 



234 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

selves were something to remember. Of course in 
these days the tourist penetrates everywhere, but 
at that time these foaming rapids sweeping through 
their rocky gorges had revealed themselves to 
few foreign eyes. They made the city of Ichang 
practically the head of navigation on the Yangtse 
River. 

The summers we passed in Japan were the 
greatest possible contrast to our life in China. 
There were practically no social demands, and 
we had ample leisure to enjoy the natural beauties 
of the country, and to observe the customs of its 
attractive people. I think the quality that made 
the greatest impression on us was their absolute 
courtesy under every condition. The kindly, 
gentle manners we saw everywhere must have 
been more than skin deep, for they were universal 
and never failing. 

We sailed from Yokohama for home on the 
City of Peking, then a new steamer. Her speed 
would not compare well with that of the ocean 
greyhounds of the present day, but she reduced 
the Colorado's time of twenty -three days in cross- 
ing to seventeen. 



CHAPTER IX 

Off Many Coasts 

A NAVAL oflBcer's periods of shore duty are 
like the country without a history, the happier 
for having httle to record. My next orders for 
sea, after my Asiatic cruise, came in August, 
1881. They instructed me to proceed to Nor- 
folk, and report on board the old ship of the line. 
New Hampshire, as executive. She was then 
fitting out for the training service, as a home 
ship for naval apprentices, and was to join the 
rest of the training squadron at Newport, Rhode 
Island. Her captain, Philip Johnson, had not 
reported, so I was in command when we sailed. 
The Powhatan had been assigned to tow us, and 
this was the beginning of a very fortunate ac- 
quaintance for me with her captain, John G. 
Walker. Although I had never met him before, 
his record was well known to me. He had been 
with Farragut until the taking of Vicksburg, 

235 



236 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

then vdth Grant in the batteries, and he had 
completed his war service under Porter on the 
Arkansas River and in the North Atlantic. His 
administrative ability was so conspicuous that 
railroad managers had tried to induce him to 
resign from the navy and enter the business world. 
He had my admiration at once, and the constant 
friendship he showed me from this time forth 
inspired me with an attachment that lasted 
throughout his life. 

From our start at Hampton Roads, all went 
smoothly until the evening of the second day, 
when, in a dense fog, the Powhatan struck on what 
proved to be the south shore of Block Island. 
Our momentum carried us past her, our hawser 
parting as we went, but we managed to let go our 
anchor quickly enough, so that when we swung 
round and brought up, we were sufficiently far 
from the beach to strike it only occasionally, 
as the sea lifted and then dropped the ship. 

The Powhatan had grounded so slightly that 
it was but a matter of minutes before she got 
off, ran a line to us, and having sent off men to 
assist our small crew in weighing the anchor we 
had let go so hastily, had us in tow and was steam- 




?5^ 



OFF MANY COASTS 237 

ing out to sea in seventeen minutes from the 
time we struck. I was surprised to find that 
Captain Walker was inclined to make much of 
the way I had conducted myself during our mutual 
experience. As even the order to anchor had 
come from him, I was unable to see that I had 
done anything except to follow his directions 
promptly and coolly, but if he chose to think 
differently, I was pleased enough to have it so, 
especially when other officers who knew that he 
was soon to be made Chief of Bureau of Navi- 
gation told me how lucky I was to have won his 
good opinion. He took an early opportunity 
of showing his friendship, for it was because of 
his expressed desire that I became captain of the 
New Hampshire in the spring following my pro- 
motion to commander, although this ship had 
always been rated as a captain's command. 

When she joined the other ships at Newport, 
our training squadron had just been reorganized, 
and was starting with a great flourish of trumpets. 
It had been formerly maintained under the Bureau 
of Equipment and Recruiting, but just before 
this, David B. Porter, the Admiral of the Navy, 
had been placed at its head, with Commodore 



238 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

Luce in actual command, flying his flag from the 
New Hampshire, the other ships in the squadron 
being the steam frigate Minnesota, the frigate 
Constitution, the sloops Portsmouth and Saratoga, 
and the Jamestown, then on her way from the 
Pacific. All officers in the squadron were to re- 
ceive sea pay, and their service to count as sea 
duty. Everything was in magnificent readiness, 
and "Now," said Lieutenant Sumner Paine, com- 
monly known as "Toby" to his many friends in 
the service, "the first thing to be done is to catch 
a boy." 

We discovered, however, that one other element 
was also rather necessary, for while Porter was 
in control of the system, as far as giving orders 
was concerned, the Bureau of Equipment was 
still responsible for the expenditures, and as it 
looked with an unfavorable eye on the changes 
that had been made, we soon found we were work- 
ing on a vacuum. 

The situation was such that. Commodore Luce 
having gone on a cruise across the North Atlantic 
with the Portsmouth and Saratoga, I felt it was 
up to me to have an interview with the Admiral, 
who was spending the summer at Narragansett 



OFF MANY COASTS 239 

Pier. At first he was inclined to simply take it 
out in cursing the adversaries, but as this, though 
soothing to us both, did not seem to bring us 
anywhere, he calmed down and finally suggested 
that I put down all the facts in a letter to him, 
and he would go to work on them. 

Meantime the opposition in Washington seemed 
to be spreading. The steam launch with which 
we made our regular trips to and from Newport 
needed repairs, and when I put in a request for 
them, I was informed, by the Bureau of Con- 
struction, that we did not need a launch — 
pulling boats ought to suflSce for us — and the 
Tallapoosa would be sent to take the launch away. 
In a few days she appeared, but as she was a 
side-wheeler and had no appliances for hoisting 
so heavy a boat on board, she was compelled to 
ask our help. Richard Derby, the New Hamp- 
shire s executive, got spars and tackles to support 
the main yard, and soon had the launch suspended 
from it, ready to lower on the Tallapoosa^ s deck, 
when she should come alongside. We signalled 
that all was in order, and she started towards 
us. She came with such headway that it was 
evident that they did not mean to back the en- 



240 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

gines till the last moment, and I felt certain pride 
in my classmate Kellogg, who was in command, 
for his nerve in making such a dashing approach. 
Just as I was about to commend him to some of 
the young officers standing near, as an example 
of fine seamanship, he and his executive officer 
rushed to the end of the bridge and yelled "We 
can't stop! We're on the center! " 

"I'm sorry," I called back, "but I can't lassoo 
you!" 

Meanwhile Derby was shouting orders to let 
go everything in the way of a brace that could 
be let go, and to the men to hurry out of the 
rigging. The Tallapoosa surged alongside, rip- 
ping out spars, carrying away gear, and swinging 
our yards about. The suspended launch struck 
the rounding surface of her paddle box, slid over 
it, and crashing through her guard, vanished in 
five fathoms of water. The Tallapoosa went on, 
headed for the beach, but fortunately her engine 
decided to function in time to prevent her from 
going ashore. We swept for the unlucky launch, 
and by night had secured it. The next morning 
we towed it out into the bay, and anchored it 
for the Tallapoosa to pick up. This time she ran 



OFF MANY COASTS 241 

over it, and having sunk it in eleven fathoms, 
felt that she had done her work thoroughly and 
departed. The last I saw of our launch, its 
battered wreck was reposing on the shores of 
Coaster's Island. 

A few days after this, Captain James Gillis of 
the Minnesota returned from a visit to Washing- 
ton, and announced that "my letter" had started 
a row in the Navy Department, and that I was 
going to "catch it." I could not think at first 
what he meant, for I was not aware of having 
written anything to Washington likely to create 
trouble, but then a suspicion came to me and I 
started posthaste for Narragansett Pier. 

"Admiral," said I, "where is that letter I wrote 
you?" Looking a little guilty, he admitted he 
had sent it on to the Navy Department. It was 
good, he said, full of ginger, and just what they 
needed for their complaint. His endorsement 
and approbation would make it all right. "All 
right for you, perhaps. Admiral," I conceded, 
"you, who are at the head of the Navy; but for 
me, the bottom commander, trouble is due, and 
lots of it." He would not allow of this, and said 
he would stand by me in any case. 



242 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

In spite of these assurances, I did not look 
forward with pleasure to the impending visit 
of the new Secretary of the Navy, William E. 
Chandler, who being broad-minded enough to 
realize that a question is apt to have two sides, 
had resolved to come to Newport to look over 
our end of the proposition. He came in the 
Tallapoosa, accompanied by several bureau chiefs, 
and when I went off to pay my respects, it was 
with a good deal of the feeling of the small boy 
who has been detected in some "sassiness" 
towards his elders. I became a little easier 
when I found I was greeted with neither threat- 
ening nor reproachful looks, but was scarcely 
prepared to have the Secretary come up to me, 
where I was standing by Kellogg's side, and after 
saying that he meant to visit my ship, ask me 
to call with him the next day on the President, 
who was then staying with Governor Morgan 
in Newport. 

Two days later he made an inspection of the 
New Hampshire, and must have been pleased 
with what he saw, for he told me he wished I 
would call again on the President and invite 
him aboard the ship. When I gave President 



OFF MANY COASTS US 

Arthur the invitation, he seemed a little doubtful 
whether his many engagements would permit, 
but after consulting his secretary, said he could 
come for a limited time. 

He appeared punctually with a number of 
friends, among them the Secretary of State, 
Frelinghuysen, and Governor Morgan, and long 
after the hour that had been set for his departure. 
Governor Morgan whispered to me that the Pres- 
ident was enjoying himself more than at any 
time since he came to Newport. When he finally 
left, after a visit of three hours which had been 
thoroughly delightful to us all, those who had 
had the privilege of meeting him could understand 
why so much had been said of President Arthur's 
social qualities. 

After this, things went very smoothly for the 
training station, but I think Admiral Porter had 
in the meantime rather lost interest. There 
had been too many irritating restrictions that 
must have seemed petty to a man who had com- 
manded, in wartime, the largest fleet we had ever 
assembled. Whatever may have been his reasons, 
he soon after gave up the position. Commodore 
Luce had begun to be absorbed, by then, in his 



244 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

pet project, the Naval War College, of which he 
is sometimes called the "Father ", and the officers 
who had been put on shore pay, and found it 
difficult to support their families in Newport and 
meet expenses on board ship at the same time, 
were generally anxious to be ordered to other 
stations. So the training squadron, which had 
started in a blaze of glory, was slowly flickering 
out. Hearing that Captain Matthews, my in- 
structor of Academy days, was looking for duty 
in Newport, I asked to be detached, and he was 
ordered to the ship in my place. 

A short interval of shore duty and leave, and 
I was ordered to Washington for instructions 
connected with the survey of the North Pacific, 
which was then being carried on by the Ranger, 
This work was directly under the supervision 
of the Bureau of Navigation, of which, as it will 
be remembered. Commodore Walker had been 
made Chief. John W. Philip, afterwards captain 
of the Texas at Santiago, was then in command 
of the Ranger, and I was sent out to San Fran- 
cisco to relieve him. 

The Ranger was a beautiful bark-rigged steamer, 
with square yards to royals, and was pierced for 



OFF MANY COASTS U5 

ten guns, but only one of these had been retained 
for signaUing purposes, the decks being kept as 
clear as possible for sounding machines and other 
appliances for surveying. I found on her a most 
eflScient staff of assistants, lieutenants, junior 
lieutenants, and ensigns. These, as their terms 
of sea duty expired, were replaced by Commodore 
Walker, who often consulted me in making his 
selections. I generally recommended that young 
officers should be sent, telling the Commodore 
I did not want to spend my time pulling kinks 
out of old lieutenants who thought they knew, 
and possibly often did know, better methods 
than those I proposed. Besides, youth was 
needed for the work we were engaged in, which, 
although most interesting, was as hard as it could 
well be. Older men could not have stood the 
strain, or felt the enthusiasm required to 
carry one through a surveying season in the 
tropics. 

Among the officers who served with me on board 
the Ranger, whose ability and energy accomplished 
so much in astronomical, triangulation, and 
hydrographic work, or who acquired a high 
professional reputation in after years, were : 



246 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

C. T. Force, Robert G. Peck, James M. Helm, 
Arthur W. Dodd, James P. Parker, James H. 
Glennon, William R. Rush, George H. Strafford, 
Albert A. Ackerman, Harry Phelps, Albert S. 
Key, William B. Whittlesey, Ward P. Winchell, 
Manning K. Eyre and Emil Theiss.^ 

The hardships to which these young men were 
exposed never lessened their zeal. They were 
landed in detached parties in unhealthy localities ; 
often left in open boats in some bay or river, 
while the ship to save time went off for coal; 
obliged to climb difficult mountain slopes under 
the burning rays of a tropical sun ; whatever the 
task demanded of them, they fulfilled it and were 
eager to attack the next. It was rather remarkable 
under these circumstances that the health record 
on board the Ranger was a fine one. The only 

1 Lieutenant Peck, who, like Force, was a remarkable observer as 
well as navigator, changed our methods of sounding to others so effec- 
tive, that better and much more work was accomplished. Ensign 
Phelps prepared a table by which the angles between high and low 
points were at once reduced to the horizontal, and thus entered in the 
records. Ensign Ackerman was the only one of the Ranger's oflScers 
who happened to serve with me on the Oregon. He had command of 
one of her turrets at the Battle of Santiago. Ensign Rush, as a 
captain, gained distinction in the command of our forces during the 
first day's fighting at Vera Cruz. Ensign Glennon, now rear admi- 
ral, and member of the commission sent to Russia, was strikingly in- 
strumental in restoring order and eflSciency in the Russian navy. 



OFF MANY COASTS 247 

officer to break down was Ensign Glennon, and 
that was after some particularly arduous triangu- 
lation work compelling him to do much severe 
mountain climbing, ending with the ascent of 
Mount Turubales. He had typhoid fever, and we 
were obliged to send him north by steamer. 

Occasionally, something ridiculous would occur 
to relieve the monotony of hard work, as when 
two of our officers were cutting in some angles 
along a curving line of beach. One of them was 
using a red flag to signal, and the other, noticing 
that this banner had suddenly stopped waving, 
found on investigation that its color had roused 
the anger of a sensitive and active bull, who had 
chased his companion out into the surf, where he 
was having difficulty in determining the safety 
line between the sharks, which were swarming 
in the bay, and the irate animal, pawing sand 
and bellowing on the beach. It was truly a case 
of being caught between the devil and the deep 
sea, but one of the ship's launches solved the 
vexed question by making an opportune appear- 
ance around the point, and rescuing the besieged. 

Our working ground was on the west coasts 
of Mexico and Central America. It had been 



248 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

surveyed before by French and English vessels 
under De Laplin and Sir Edward Belcher, but as 
that was in the days when only sailing ships were 
available, and the portions of coast not deemed 
important to traders and navigators had been but 
hurriedly examined, their work, while creditable, 
left much to be accomplished, and in some cases 
to be corrected. 

For instance, the Gulf of Dulce, which is sep- 
arated from the Gulf of Nicoya by a stretch of 
coast backed by lofty mountains and impenetrable 
forests, figures in De Laplin's sailing directions as 
an indentation thirty-eight miles long and nearly 
twenty wide, while on another chart it was 
represented as a slight curve in the coast. We 
found its upper portion land-locked and well 
sheltered, but any navigator expecting to find 
an anchorage there would be sadly disappointed, 
•for its waters, even close to the shore, showed a 
uniform depth of six hundred feet. 

Cape Elena, which marked one of the most 
exhausting and hazardous efforts of the triangu- 
lation party, under Glennon and Winchell, was 
so far misplaced that a vessel leaving San Juan 
del Sur would have had to steer nearly forty-five 



OFF MANY COASTS 249 

degrees to the westward of the indicated course 
to avoid running upon it. Indeed, when the 
Ranger left San Juan del Sur at night, we found 
before going far that our course was blocked by 
mountains ahead and on both bows. 

Cape Elena was at the extremity of a moun- 
tainous range projecting into the Pacific, whose 
northern face, according to the De Laplin and 
Belcher charts, shows an unbroken and precipitous 
coast. We found there a magnificent harbor, easy 
of access and perfectly protected. There were no 
signs of life upon its beautiful shores, and as the 
mountains were densely wooded, with tangled 
undergrowth, and as coasting vessels or fishing 
boats rarely venture outside the heads in Central 
America, this harbor was probably first visited 
by man when Ensign Parker steamed between its 
high cliffs in one of our launches. The next day 
he piloted the Ranger in, and the survey was 
begun. At first I called it Port Elena, but later, 
at my request, and because of this oflficer's merits, 
the Department changed the name to Port Parker. 

While running lines of surroundings off Cape 
Colnett, Lower California, we had a chance to 
observe the curious way in which air currents 



250 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

will sometimes act. We had two parties stationed 
for triangulation work on the high plateau that 
terminates the cape. They noted only a moderate 
northwest breeze blowing across it, and we on 
the ship experienced the same, when some dis- 
tance from the shore and to windward, but the 
instant we got under what should have been the 
shelter of the precipitous cliffs, the wind became 
so violent that it was hard to keep one's footing 
on deck. It evidently accumulated nearly all 
its force while sweeping down from a height of 
less than six hundred feet, and expended the most 
of it on the spot where it landed, so to speak. 

It was just a little north of Cape Colnett that 
the Ranger came near ending her career. She 
barely escaped being wrecked on a lee shore during 
a terrific gale, in which, despite the fact that we 
had both anchors down and the engines working 
at high pressure, she still continued to drag towards 
the beach. We could not understand at the time 
why we were not able to obtain greater power 
from the engines, but discovered afterwards that 
there was an opening in the steam chest which 
was allowing the high-pressure cylinder to ex- 
haust upon both sides of the low-pressure piston 



OFF MANY COASTS 251 

at once. Just as her stern was almost in the 
breakers, there came a fortunate lull in the fury 
of the wind, and by raising our anchors, one by 
the capstan, and the other by a deck tackle, we 
managed to steam off shore far enough, so that 
when the next gust threw us broadside to the 
beach we were not driven on to it. 

This reminds me of another time when luck 
was with us. We were steaming in towards the 
Central American shore one night, in a dense 
fog, and Ensign Rush offered to station himself 
as lookout on the flying jib boom, a suggestion 
which I gladly adopted. He had just worked 
his way past the fore-royal stay, when I saw 
him wave his arms wildly, and heard a shout of 
**Stop her. Captain ! Stop her! I can hear a baby 
crying!" When the engine was stopped, we all 
could hear it. We found, when the fog lifted, 
that we had been heading for the only village 
in many a mile of beach, and we were grateful 
to that baby for being wakeful. The case was 
so exceptional, however, that I did not feel it 
necessary to put in the sailing directions for the Gulf 
of Nicoya, "Stand in, until the baby can be heard." 

The Ranger was an iron ship, and I found I 



252 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

could reduce the temperature on board consider- 
ably, during hours of sunlight, by giving her a 
coat of white paint. This was done with Com- 
modore Walker's approval, and some time later, 
when he took command of our first squadron 
of modern ships, they were painted white, a cus- 
tom that was followed for years. The story 
goes that when he was relieved as Chief of Bureau, 
the Secretary said to him : "Admiral, as you 
have been running the Navy Department for 
years, suppose you take the Navy for a while 
and let me have the Department." 

Another story of Walker has been frequently 
told and yet is so characteristic of him that I 
repeat it here. A young officer, intent upon 
securing a coveted billet, hurried into the office 
of the Chief of Bureau and finding it apparently 
vacant, called to the occupants of the next room, 
" Where's Walker ? I want to see Walker ! " 
"Here I am," came the unexpected answer, as 
the Commodore's head rose from behind a desk. 
"What can I do for you?" 

"Oh, Commodore!" stammered the abashed 
youngster, "I wanted — that is — I didn't mean 
— excuse me — I'll call again — " 



OFF MANY COASTS 253 

"No, no! don't go away!" said the Com- 
modore urbanely. "Come back, and sit down. 
Call me John!" 

When my cruise on the Ranger was completed, 
I had some years of shore duty, part of it as 
Lighthouse Inspector on the Great Lakes. This 
duty brought me into contact with Colonel — 
afterwards General — William Ludlow, one of 
the finest examples of a soldier it has ever been 
my fortune to meet. His heroic conduct in the 
fierce struggle at Alatoona was equalled — one 
might say, even bettered — by his splendid 
work as an engineer at Havana, which still enjoys 
the benefits of his wise regulations and the sani- 
tary reforms he instituted. It was his brother, 
Nicoll Ludlow, who as a midshipman had been 
my companion in London and Paris, and whom 
I relieved as commander of the Mohican, when 
I was sent to sea again. During the month of 
May, 1894, while still on the commanders' list, 
I was placed at the head of the Behring Sea patrol 
fleet, with orders to enforce the terms governing 
pelagic sealing, just agreed upon by the arbitrators 
at Paris. 

This squadron, one of the largest assembled 



254 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

since the Civil War, consisted of the Mohican, 
Concord, Yorktown, Adams, Ranger, Alert, and 
Petrel, men-of-war, the Fish Commission steamer 
Albatross and the revenue cutters Corwin and 
Bear. Admiral Ramsey had relieved Admiral 
Walker in the department, but my former room- 
mate at the Academy, Francis A. Cook, had been 
made Assistant Chief of the Bureau of Naviga- 
tion, so my interests were not allowed to suffer. 
In fact, I was told that a captain who applied to 
Admiral Ramsey for duty on the Pacific coast 
was informed that being above me on the list 
might prove an obstacle to giving him such a 
billet. 

During the greater part of my service in Beh- 
ring Sea, we enjoyed comparatively good weather 
as far as storms were concerned, but the fogs 
were often so dense as to make navigation danger- 
ous. The water ran deep, right up to the edge 
of the rocky cliffs, so we were seldom able to 
ascertain our position by soundings, and the 
currents which swept past the steep shores of the 
islands and through the narrow passes between 
them made the laying of any course uncertain 
business. The year before, the Petrel, which 



OFF MANY COASTS 255 

had been lost in the fog to the south of the island 
chain for days, found when it cleared away that 
she was close to Boguslav volcano, fifty miles 
to the north of the pass, through which all uncon- 
sciously she had been driven by these currents. 
Often the echo of the steam whistle from some 
precipice, or the roar of the surf upon a rocky 
shore, would be the first danger signal that came 
to us. The anxieties attending such service 
were so great that two captains in the fleet broke 
down under them, obliging me to detach them 
and order other officers to their commands, but 
Goodrich, Folger, Longnecker, Emory, and Drake 
of the navy, and Healy and Hunger of the revenue 
service met every requirement and performed 
every duty courageously and cheerfully. The 
whole-hearted way in which they carried out the 
orders of one so slightly their senior in rank 
was of course highly gratifying to me, and I have 
always retained for them the strongest feeling of 
attachment. 

Although by the terms agreed on by the Arbi- 
tration Commission, pelagic sealing was supposed 
to be limited in time, and never permitted within 
sixty miles of the Pribylof Islands, where the 



^5Q MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

enormous seal rookeries were situated, thousands 
of female seals were killed and in consequence 
nearly twenty -five thousand of their pups died of 
starvation on the rookeries. As the rich quality of 
the seal's milk enables the young to survive nine 
days, according to experts, after abandonment by 
the mother, one can realize what prolonged suffer- 
ing was entailed by this practice. It seemed to me 
such an abominable state of affairs that I recom- 
mended that the seal herd, which had already 
been reduced from millions to about six hundred 
thousand, should be practically destroyed, or at 
least so reduced as to make pelagic sealing un- 
profitable. As I looked at it, our Government 
could not afford to countenance a business which, 
as I remarked in my protest, would never be 
tolerated in a stock-raising community. When 
a bill based on this suggestion was introduced 
by Congressman Dingley, I was considerably 
astonished at hearing it proclaimed by some as 
shocking and wantonly cruel. Whether the out- 
siders raising this outcry were touched in their 
sensibilities or their pockets, it would be hard to 
say, but as far as cruelty was concerned, one 
would think there could be scarcely a question 



OFF MANY COASTS 257 

as to which was preferable, quick death or slow 
starvation. However, I was on the whole more 
flattered than hurt to think that an original idea 
of mine had made such a stir. 

Speaking of prolonged sufferings, there was a 
rooster on board the Mohican who really had the 
sympathy of all who watched his struggles to 
keep up regular habits during his first summer in 
Behring Sea. As we got farther north and the 
nights became shorter, it must have seemed to 
him as if he had hardly tucked his head under 
his wing before duty called him to salute the day 
again. He kept valiantly on, but by the time 
we started south, he was badly out of condition, 
and the sailors, who by this time had adopted him 
as a pet, said that the next season he gave up the 
contest, and went to roost and turned out by the 
ship's bells. 

I continued on the Pacific coast until March, 
1898, the year of the Spanish War. I was com- 
manding the Monterey at San Diego, when orders 
came for me to proceed to San Francisco and 
take command of the battleship Oregon. 



CHAPTER X 

The Oregon's Race 

" Six thousand miles ^ 
To the Indian Isles 
And the Oregon rushed home. 
Her wake a swirl 
Of jade and pearl, 
Her bow a bend of foam." 

Arthur Guiterman, New York Times. 

The Oregon, at the time I received orders to 
command her, was one of the most up-to-date 
and powerful battleships our navy possessed. Her 
presence on the east coast was considered so 
essential that the, government felt the risks of 
the long voyage, till then untested by a vessel of 
her class, must be undertaken, even though they 
included a possibility of meeting with the enemy's 
fleet. 

In starting on this long race around two con- 
tinents, I could feel I was fortunate in the quali- 

^ From the Straits of Magellan. 
258 



THE OREGON'S RACE 259 

ties of both ship and crew. The Union Iron 
Works of San Francisco, which constructed the 
Oregon, had already built several other vessels 
for our service, among them the cruiser Olympia, 
but the Oregon was their first battleship, and it 
had been their pride to make her as mechanically 
perfect as possible. For instance, when the in- 
stallation of her condenser tubes had been almost 
completed, it was learned that those on the 
Olympia, which were of the same type, were not 
giving the best results. The managers of the 
Union Iron Works at once requested permission 
of the Navy Department to grant them the 
time to change the tubes at their own expense, 
which was done at an extra cost of over six thou- 
sand dollars to the firm. So it may well be said 
that this ship was "built on honor." In addition 
to the usual proportion of trained and intelligent 
men-of-war's men and a fine marine guard com- 
posing her crew, I found an exceptionally large 
number of young men drawn from all classes in 
the States of Oregon, Washington, and Cali- 
fornia by the prospect of war service. The 
fashion in which these young fellows, with so 
little experience to guide them, took up their new 



260 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

duties was remarkable. They met every hard- 
ship of the voyage cheerfully, and were always 
alert and ready for any sort of demand. 

As to the Oregon^s officers, I found them such 
as I would have expected upon any ship in our 
navy. Through experience and tradition alike 
the qualities of the average American naval 
officer can safely be taken for granted. One can 
feel as Macaulay did, in speaking of one of the 
heroes of an older serivce, that he will perform 
all that duty demands of him "with the skill 
and spirit worthy of his noble profession." 

The forty-eight hours that I was in command 
before we sailed from San Francisco were con- 
fused and hurried. Stores were being rushed 
aboard, coaling going on, and officers reporting 
for duty. Whatever I might feel about the 
general character of my officers and crew, I was 
personally acquainted with very few among them, 
and I can well remember in the crowd of strange 
faces surrounding me what a satisfaction it was 
to come across an old orderly who had been with 
me on the receiving ship Independence, He en- 
tered the cabin to report at eight o'clock the first 
night I was on board. I was feeling tired and a 



THE OREGON'S RACE 261 

little oppressed with the thought of the long and 
uncertain voyage before me, and when I looked 
up into this familiar face instead of the strange 
one I had expected to see, it meant more to me 
than could easily be imagined. 

We sailed from San Francisco ^ on March nine- 
teenth, and our run from there to Callao was un- 
eventful except in the opportunities it gave me 
to become acquainted with the ship and her 
personnel. As we approached the tropics, life 



1 List of the oflBcers of the Oregon : 

Captain C. E. Clark 

Lieutenant Commander J. K. Cogswell 

Lieutenants . . . R. F. Nicholson, W. H. Allen, A. A. Ackerman 

Lieutenants junior grade E. W. Eberle 

Ensigns C. L. Hussey, R. Z. Johnston 

Captain of Marines R. Dickins 

Second Lieutenant of Marines A. R. Davis 

Naval Cadets H. E. Yarnell, L. M. Overstreet, 

C. R. Miller, A. G. Magill, C. S. Kempff 

Chief Engineer R. W. Milligan 

P. A. Engineer C. N. Offley 

Asst. Engineers J. M. Reeves, F. Lyon 

Engineer Cadets H. N. Jenson, W. D. Leahy 

Surgeon P. A. Lovering 

Assistant Surgeon W. B. Grove 

Paymaster S. R. Colhoun 

Chaplain P. J. Mclntyre 

Paymaster's Clerk J. A. Murphy 

Boatswain John Costello 

Gunner A. S. Williams 

Carpenter M. F. Roberta 



262 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

between decks became almost intolerable, for 
to their heat was added that generated by the 
ship's boilers, kept at a full head of steam. When 
Chief Engineer Milligan informed me that he 
thought we should never allow salt water to enter 
the boilers, I felt it was asking almost too much 
of the endurance of the crew. It meant not only 
reducing their drinking supply, but that the 
quantity served out would often be so warm as 
to be quite unpalatable. When I explained to 
the men, however, that salt water in the boilers 
meant scale, and that scale would reduce our 
speed, delay us in getting to the seat of war, and 
might impair our efficiency in battle, the dep- 
rivation was borne without a murmur. The 
very small quantity of ice that was made on board 
went to the firemen and coal passers, and how- 
ever much the rest of us may have longed for a 
little to cool the lukewarm drinking water, I know 
that it was not only willingly, but cheerfully 
given up. 

Another of the chief engineer's suggestions was 
the reservation for emergencies of a part of the 
Cardiff coal taken on at San Francisco. This 
arrangement entailed extra work for the men, 



THE OREGON'S RACE ^6S 

and that of a most exhausting kind, but their 
desire to preserve these "dusky diamonds" was 
as keen as if they had been real jewels. The fact 
that the Oregon never stayed or slackened in her 
race, and was able to lead in the hour of battle, 
was undoubtedly due to this oneness of feeling 
in her officers and crew. Everything must be 
done and everything borne to get the best out of 
the ship. 

With the change of climate as we neared the 
Straits of Magellan, came also change of weather, 
and the Oregon, which up to this time had sailed 
comparatively smooth seas, dipped her bows deep 
in foaming surges. Just after we entered the 
Straits, a violent gale struck us. The thick, 
hurrying scud obscured the precipitous rockbound 
shores, and with night coming on, it seemed in- 
advisable to proceed; yet with the ship driven 
before the gale as she was it was impossible 
to obtain correct soundings, and making a safe 
anchorage must therefore be largely a matter of 
chance. I decided to anchor, however, as the 
lesser risk. We let go one anchor, and the chain 
ran out furiously for about one hundred and 
twenty-five fathoms before it could be checked. 



264 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

At last it caught, and then the other anchor was 
let go. They held us through the night, though 
the gale continued to rage. At early daylight we 
prepared to get under way, and then discovered 
that our first anchor had been dropped in fifty 
fathoms, or three hundred feet of water. That 
forenoon a heavy snowstorm chased us through 
the narrowest reaches of the Straits, which in 
some places are scarcely more than a mile in width. 
With sheer cliffs on either hand and fathomless 
depths below, there could be no pause or hesita- 
tion in this exciting race, and I think there was 
no man on board that did not feel the thrill of it. 
Later in the day it cleared, and the sun's rays, 
striking brilliance and rainbow lights from the 
masses of ice and snow, turned the grim landscape 
into a scene beautiful to remember. In the after- 
noon we passed the wrecks of two steamers that 
had left their bones to mark the perils of the 
passage, and towards evening we sighted Cape 
Froward, the extreme southern point of the con- 
tinent. In the night we came to anchor off Sandy 
Point. 

The last time I had seen Sandy Point was 
thirty-two years before, when I had passed 



THE OREGON'S RACE 265 

through the Straits in the consort of the Monad- 
nock, our first ironclad to round the American 
continent. Now, on board the second of our 
armored ships to attempt the passage, I was 
hurrying in the opposite direction, this time to 
strengthen our arms on the Atlantic coast. 

I went ashore the next morning in order to make 
arrangements about coal and was surprised to 
find Sandy Point, which I remembered as a mere 
handful of scattered houses, so changed. Its 
population had grown to about four thousand 
souls, and I walked along streets where formerly 
there had been only footpaths. There were paths 
now, but one had to go to the edge of the town to 
find them. I followed one out into the open 
country, where in the old days it was dangerous 
to venture. Now, instead of the wild Patagonians 
armed with their bolas and attended by their 
savage wolfish dogs, who used to infest it, I saw 
flocks of peacefully grazing sheep, guarded by 
Scotch shepherds and their collies. The agent 
from whom we purchased our coal was one of 
these canny Scots, very suspicious that in some 
way we intended to get the better of him. The 
coal had to be taken from a hulk in which wool 



266 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

was also stored, and as the wool lay on top, our 
men had by no means easy work. The agent 
added to delays in handling by insisting that 
the hoisting buckets should be frequently weighed. 
Murphy, one of our boatswain's mates, finally 
raised a laugh at his expense by calling out, as 
a loaded bucket reached the deck, "Here! lower 
again for another weigh ! There's a fly on the 
edge of that bucket !" 

We had been warned while at Callao that the 
Spaniards had a torpedo boat in the Rio de la 
Plata, and as she had had ample time to get down 
to the Straits, we took every precaution against 
a surprise while lying at Sandy Point. Before 
we left there, the gunboat Marietta joined us. 
She carried six guns, and her captain was Com- 
mander Symonds. On the way to Rio she led, 
making what speed she could, and throwing over 
barrels, which we used for targets. We showed 
no lights during this run. As we neared Rio, we 
left the Marietta and ran ahead, reaching there 
April 30 and promptly cabling our arrival, for we 
knew that news of the ship was anxiously awaited. 

It was at Rio that we first received word that 
war had been declared. The newspapers were full 



THE OREGON'S RACE 267 

of rumors of the battle that had been fought at 
Manila, but I could not rejoice wholeheartedly 
in our reported victory, for the casualties an- 
nounced were two hundred, and I knew that 
my son-in-law was in the fleet. 

A cablegram from the Navy Department in- 
formed us that the Spanish torpedo boat Temerario 
was reported to have left Montevideo, probably 
for Rio. This was disturbing information. If 
the torpedo boat should arrive and had an ordi- 
narily enterprising commander, I felt he would 
not hesitate to violate the rights of a neutral port, 
if by so doing he could put one of our four first- 
class battleships out of action. To justify his 
attack, he would only have to point to our own 
conduct at Bahia, another Brazilian port, when 
one of our ships, the Wachusett, captured the 
Confederate steamer Florida. This was a clear 
violation of international law, but the captain 
of the Wachusett was neither surrendered to the 
Brazilian authorities, nor punished in any way 
by us. 

Of course, my first move was an attempt to 
communicate with the American Minister and 
the Consul General, but knowing this might in- 



268 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

volve some time, I did not wait before taking the 
initiative. I got under way at once, with coal 
lighters alongside, and steamed up the bay, 
nearly two miles above the man-of-war anchorage. 
By leaving this anchorage, ordinarily used by 
men-of-war, to the Temerario, 1 could assume 
that any move she made up the bay in our direc- 
tion might be certainly interpreted as hostile, 
and would give me the right to turn our guns upon 
her. If we were lying at the anchorage together, 
any mischief she contemplated might be done 
before we had a chance to discover her inten- 
tion. The Marietta, too small a pawn in the 
game of war to form any inducement for an 
infringement of neutral rights, was to remain 
at the anchorage. Her commander had instruc- 
tions to explain matters at once to the Spanish 
captain, should he arrive, and to state that a 
constant watch would be kept upon him, the 
Marietta's searchlight being used at night for 
that purpose. 

Before starting up the bay, I had sent an oflBcer 
ashore to see the Brazilian Minister of Marine 
and explain our situation. I was a little afraid 
I might be advised to settle my perplexities by 



THE OREGON'S RACE 269 

leaving port ; but this would not have suited my 
plans at all, and fortunately I found the authori- 
ties most obligingly disposed. They not only 
concurred in my arrangements, but even sug- 
gested ordering one of their own cruisers to 
watch for the Spaniard, escort him to the re- 
motest part of the bay and see that if he moved 
at all, it would be merely to leave the harbor. 
Indeed, before the hurried return of our Minister, 
Mr. Bryan, from the summer capital at Petro- 
polis, everything was satisfactorily adjusted. Our 
Government was reaping the reward of having 
taken measures to secure the friendship and good 
will of the Brazilians. They were sorely in need 
of money at the time, and we had offered them 
one million dollars for the almost worthless 
Nictheroy. She was still undergoing repairs when 
she was turned over to me and placed under my 
orders. 

Having settled this first difficulty, I found 
myself confronted by an even more vital question 
in the next few hours. I think I can give no 
better idea of the situation than by quoting the 
dispatches received from the Navy Department 
from April 30, the time of our arrival, up to 



270 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

May 4, when we sailed. These, of course, were in 
code and were deciphered by Ensign Johnston, my 
clerk. There was so much anxiety evidenced in 
them that I felt they were not calculated to put 
confidence into the ship's company, so I kept all 
but portions of them to myself. 

That of April 30 instructed me to "await 
orders." 

The one of May 1 said : "Four Spanish cruisers 
heavy and fast, three torpedo boats, deep-sea 
class, sailed April 29th from Cape Verde Islands 
to the west. Destination unknown. Must be 
left to your discretion entirely to avoid this 
fleet and to reach the United States or the West 
Indies. You can go where you desire, or if it be 
considered as last resort and can rely upon Bra- 
zilian protection may remain there under plea 
of repairs. Nictheroy and Marietta subject to 
orders of yourself." 

Cablegram of May 2. " Do not sail from Rio 
Janeiro, Brazil, until further orders." 

Same date. " My telegram May 2nd counter- 
manded. Carry out instructions in my telegram 
May 1st to proceed with Oregon, Marietta and 
Nictheroy, 



THE OREGON'S RACE 271 

May 3rd. *' Inform Department of your plans. 
Spanish fleet in Philippines annihilated by our 
naval force on the Asiatic station." 

The general trend of these telegrams made it 
plain that the Department felt our position was 
critical, and that it did not wish at such a dis- 
tance from the scene of action to take the re- 
sponsibility of forcing one ship, however great 
the need for her, to face the chances of so unequal 
a contest. Therefore it left the decision to me. 
I appreciated the consideration, but at the same 
time it was a case where one would have much 
preferred to be backed by positive orders. In 
entering upon a course which involved the pos- 
sible loss of a ship so valuable to the nation, the 
feeling that you were simply carrying out the 
wishes of that nation would have been a strong 
moral support. As I was denied this, I thought 
the situation over with the utmost care, and 
came to these conclusions. First and foremost : 
if this Spanish squadron were headed for the 
West Indies, as I was inclined to believe, the 
necessity for the Oregon's presence there with 
our fleet was all the more urgent. If, on the 
contrary, it was making for Rio with the idea of 



272 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

intercepting the Oregon, it could undoubtedly, by 
maintaining a certain speed, arrive in that vicinity 
before we could get away, but it did not seem 
likely to me that the Spaniards would make this 
attempt to cut off a single ship, especially as 
there was a possibility of missing her altogether. 
And if they did come upon us, we would give 
them a good fight. I made up my mind to take 
the chance. 

I then called all the commissioned officers to- 
gether and told them of the contents of the cable- 
grams, except of the permission to remain in Rio 
for repairs. Their loyal support and enthusiasm 
was most encouraging. I then laid before them the 
plan for the conduct of a fight in case we met the 
Spaniards. It was my intention to make it a 
running fight, if possible, as we could use six tur- 
ret guns, and two six-inch guns right astern, and 
I hoped that by running at our full speed, we might 
be able to string out the pursuers and cope with 
them singly, as did the survivor of the Horatii 
when flying from his three weakened enemies. 
This allusion to the Horatian tactics was re- 
ferred to by Captain Mahan when he wrote: 
"Captain Clark drew for support from the foun- 



THE OREGON'S RACE 273 

tain heads of history; from the remote and even 
legendary past." 

We sailed from Rio on May 4, and finding a few 
hours afterwards that we were greatly hampered 
by the Marietta and Nictheroy, and knowing 
that they would be rather a source of anxiety 
than help in battle, left them off Cape Frio and 
pushed on. 

The morning after our departure, at the sug- 
gestion of R. F. Nicholson, the navigator, I called 
the crew aft and read them the dispatches con- 
cerning the strength of the Spanish squadron and 
the uncertainty of its movements. I added that 
I was sure, should we meet, that we would at least 
lower Spain's fighting efficiency upon the seas, 
and that her fleet would not be worth much after 
the encounter. 

The men cheered and rejoiced as though the 
fleet had been already sighted and a victory assured. 

Four days later we ran into the port of Bahia, 
and I dispatched the following cablegram, which 
would of course allow the Department control of 
the situation again. 

"Much delayed by the Marietta and Nictheroy. 
Left them near Cape Frio, with orders to come 



274 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

here, or to beach if necessity compels it to avoid 
capture. The Oregon could steam fourteen knots 
for hours and in a running fight could beat off 
and even cripple Spanish fleet. With present 
amount of coal on board will be in good fighting 
trim and could reach West Indies. If more 
should be taken here I could reach Key West, 
but in that case belt armor, cellulose belt, and 
protective deck would be below water line. 
Whereabouts of Spanish fleet requested." 

The Department answered; "Proceed at once 
to West Indies without further stop Brazil. No 
authentic news Spanish fleet. Avoid if possible. 
We believe you will defeat it if met." 

On receipt of this dispatch, we left Bahia at 
once, and two days later, having turned Cape 
San Roque, the Oregon could at last lay a course 
for home waters. 

While off the mouth of the Amazon, the great- 
est of rivers, we passed the smallest vessel that 
ever circumnavigated the globe. This was the 
yawl Spray, sailed by one man. Captain Slocum 
of New Bedford. Before we were out of sight, 
she hoisted a signal which we did not make out, 
but he states in the history he afterwards wrote 



THE OREGON'S RACE 275 

of the voyage that it read, "Let us keep together 
for mutual protection." 

On May 18, about two a.m. we entered CarHsle 
Roads, Barbadoes, and anchored. The Governor 
immediately sent word that we must leave within 
twenty-four hours, but added that we could reckon 
the twenty -four from daylight the next morning, 
which would give us a little additional time. 
Later he informed us that as the American consul 
had sent off a cablegram to the United States 
announcing our arrival before the order had been 
given that no dispatches were to be sent, he must 
in fairness allow the Spanish consul to cable the 
same news to the Governor of Porto Rico. Our 
short stay in Barbadoes was not of a cheering 
nature. The first news that greeted us was that 
our fleet had attacked San Juan and been repelled. 
From the boats that pulled off within hail — none 
were allowed to board us because we had come 
from fever-infected ports — we gathered the pleas- 
ing intelligence that the Spanish fleet was waiting 
for us outside, report having by this time swelled 
its numbers to eighteen vessels. Three torpedo or 
scout boats were said to have been positively 
sighted from elevated points on the island. 



276 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

We hoped and believed that these rumors were 
exaggerated, but could not afford to ignore them 
altogether, for it was possible that Cervera's squad- 
ron had been reinforced by gunboats from Cuba ; 
so with the object of making our actions as mis- 
leading as possible to those who might be supplying 
information to the enemy, we announced that we 
would take on coal as late as two a.m., while 
actually planning to leave much earlier. Indeed, 
before ten that evening, the lighters were cast 
off, and the Oregon steaming out of the roadstead. 
With lights showing, we ran for a few miles to- 
wards the passage between Martinique and Santa 
Lucia, then, extinguishing them, we turned south- 
ward and ran back towards Barbadoes. After 
getting well outside, we shaped our course clear 
of the Virgin Islands, then off the Bahamas, and 
made for the coast of Florida, the last stage of our 
long journey. 

The latest news that had reached us of our own 
fleet was that a part of it was concentrated near 
the Dry Tortugas, and a part at Hampton Roads. 
By touching at Jupiter Inlet and telegraphing 
the Department from there, it could send us 
orders to reinforce either of these squadrons. So 



THE OREGON'S RACE 277 

it was that on the night of May 24, the rays of 
Jupiter Light streamed out to the Oregon like the 
fingers of some friendly hand extended to welcome 
her home. One of our boats, in charge of Ensign 
Johnston, was hurried ashore with the following 
telegram to the Secretary of the Navy. 

" Oregon arrived. Have coal enough to reach 
Dry Tortugas in 33 hours. Hampton Roads 
in 52 hours. Boat landed through surf awaits 
answer." 

The reply came: "If ship is in good condi- 
tion go to Key West. Otherwise to Hampton 
Roads. The Department congratulates you on 
your safe arrival, which has been reported to 
the President." 

The Oregon, on receipt of this telegram, started 
for Key West, arriving there May 26.^ We 
began coaling at once from lighters we found 
waiting for us outside the reef. Admiral Samp- 

1 While at Key West, or later off Santiago, Lieutenant C. M. 
Stone, Ensign L. A. Bostwick, Naval Cadets P. B. Dungan, E. J. 
Sadler, C. C. Kalbfus, H. J. Brinser, C. G. Hatch, C. Shackford and 
T. C. Dunlap joined the ship and served through the war. One of 
our naval cadets, Mr. Gill, had become seriously ill on the run from 
the Pacific and was sent home. Lieutenant H. W. Harrison, who had 
well performed the duties of both watch and division officer during 
the voyage, was injured during one of the bombardments at Santiago, 
and was transferred to the hospital and then home. 



278 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

son's flagship. New York, came in for coal the 
next morning, and it was while making my 
official call on the Admiral that he told me of the 
plan for blocking the harbor entrance at Santiago, 
where Cervera's squadron had just been located, 
by sinking a steamer in the channel. This idea 
seemed to me an excellent one, as I think it would 
have to any one at that time, for the Spanish cruis- 
ers were then regarded as much speedier than our 
battleships, and the only two of our vessels we 
imagined could bring them to action, the New 
York and Brooklyn, would, with their compara- 
tively light armor, have suffered heavily in such 
an event, if they had not been altogether de- 
stroyed. The later annihilation of the Spanish 
fleet no more disproves the wisdom of this plan 
as we saw matters then, than the failure of Hobson 
and his brave companions to effect what they in- 
tended disproves their heroism. 

On the afternoon of May 27, our crew was 
increased by the arrival of sixty young men of 
the Chicago Naval Reserves. They remained 
with the Oregon until she went to New York 
after the war, taking part in the bombardments 
at Santiago and later in the decisive battle of 



THE OREGON'S RACE 279 

July 3, and winning from all our oflScers and men 
the highest esteem and friendly, regard.^ 

The night following this addition to our crew, 
we sailed about eleven o'clock, and the next 
morning fell in with Admiral Watson's fleet. It 
was Sunday morning, and all hands in the fleet 
were dressed for inspection. Our decks were still 
piled with coal, and everybody black with its 
dust. I was not permitted to report on board 
the flagship, however, before we had passed the 
length of the entire line, the crews cheering them- 
selves hoarse as we went by, and the Indiana's 
band playing *'The New Bully." Truly, we felt 
as some one aptly described the Highlanders, 
"Proud and dirty." 

Watson's fleet was practically marking time 
north of Cuba and near the western entrance of 
the Bahama Channel, in order to intercept Cer- 
vera's squadron, should it leave Santiago and 
attempt to reach Havana that way. There were 
two or three monitors in this fleet, and our 
arrival enabled the battleship Indiana to leave 
for coal. The next morning Admiral Sampson 

1 These young men later formed a society, called by my name, 
and by which I was twice handsomely entertained in Chicago. 



280 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

arrived. He was much disturbed by the report 
that our fleet under Commodore Schley, which 
was blockading Santiago, had retired to the 
westward.^ He at once telegraphed the De- 
partment that having the support of the Oregon 
he would start for Santiago at once and blockade 
for an indefinite time if necessary. So the Ore- 
gon's worn-out engine-room force must prepare 
for a dash of seven hundred miles at speed again. 
All felt that we had come at a supreme moment, 
however, and gladly made ready to do their utmost. 
We were asked what was the best speed we 
could make without undue strain on our ma- 
chinery, and answered "fourteen knots." Twice, 
in the early part of the run, the Oregon came rac- 
ing up almost abeam of the New York, and was 
checked by the signal, "Keep your station bet- 
ter." These checks in full career meant an un- 
necessary waste of steam and effort on the part 
of the men, so when another signal came, "Can 
you maintain speed without too much strain on 
machinery," I answered, "Yes, if we are not re- 
quired to keep our station." 

1 Fortunately Commodore Schley returned a few hours later and 
renewed the blockade. 



THE OREGON'S RACE ^81 

This must have occasioned some explanations 
on the flagship, for it was some minutes before the 
reply came back. "The Admiral does not wish 
you to keep in your station." 

After that the Oregon tore along like a thor- 
oughbred, passing the New York or dropping 
astern, as her firemen and coal heavers flagged, or 
roused themselves anew. 



CHAPTER XI 

Santiago 

" Through smoke and flame the battle raged. 
And every missile sent 
Was planted where it counted most 

And where the gunners meant. 
While leading all, the Oregon 
Dashed swiftly to the van, 
And raked and riddled with her guns 
Each deck where dared a man." 

— John Flagg, Lyrics of New England. 

Two more days, and doubt and excitement 
were ended, for in the haze off Santiago our ships 
were sighted. Their appearance, and later their 
signals, proved them to be the Brooklyn, Massa- 
chusetts, Iowa, Texas, Marblehead, and New 
Orleans, with several smaller consorts.^ We took 

* Names of ships and commanders taking part in battle or bom- 
bardments at Santiago : 

New York, Captain Chadwick, flagship of Admiral Sampson. 
Brooklyn, Captain Cook, flagship of Commodore Schley. 

282 



SANTIAGO 283 

up our station some distance east of the entrance 
to the harbor and began our part in the blockade 
which was to last until July third. The night 
of our arrival, Hobson made the attempt to carry 
out the plan of blocking the narrow channel. 
The nature of the enterprise — which seemed 
full as desperate as that in which Somers, Israel, 
Dorsey, and Wadsworth lost their lives in 
Tripoli — was no check upon the eagerness of 
our oflScers and men to share in it. Of the many 
that volunteered for the expedition, only a few 
could be taken, however. When morning dawned, 
it was thought at first that Hobson's object had 
been achieved, for the sunken Merrimac, with 
her smokestack, spars, and upper works showing, 
seemed to us to be lying directly in the channel. 

First-class battleships : 

Massachusetts, Captain Higginson. 

Iowa, Captain Evans. 

Indiana, Captain Taylor. 

Oregon, Captain Clark. 
Second-class battleship : 

Texas, Captain Philip. 
Cruisers : 

New Orleans, Captain Folger. 

Marblehead, Captain McCalla. 

Yankee, Commander Brownson. 
Gunboats : 

Gloucester, Lieutenant Commander Wainwright. 

Vixen, Lieutenant Commander Sharp. 



284 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

In fact, the Oregon and Texas were ordered to 
take positions close enough in shore to prevent 
the enemy from boarding or moving her. It 
soon developed, however, that she had drifted 
too far over to the eastern side of the channel to 
block it effectively. Speculation as to the fate of 
Hobson and his heroic crew was relieved by an 
announcement of their safety from the magnani- 
mous Cervera, who strangely enough had been 
the one to rescue them. 

On June 4, Commodore Schley and the captains 
were called on board the flagship for a conference. 
An attack upon the Spanish batteries had been 
planned for the next day, and the Admiral wished 
to assign us our stations. Captain Philip sug- 
gested that as the date set was Sunday, there be a 
delay of twenty-four hours, and to this Sampson 
agreed. As suggestions seemed to be in order, 
I brought forward one that appeared to me most 
essential. It was in relation to our defense against 
attacks by torpedo boats, at least a couple of 
which we knew had entered the harbor with the 
Spanish cruisers. Up to this time, the only watch 
that had been maintained against what should 
have been a most effective weapon of the enemy 



SANTIAGO 285 

was that kept by our gunboats, which naturally 
could not get very close to the harbor entrance 
without being observed and fired upon. My 
proposal that launches or pulling boats should also 
be used for this picket duty roused some debate, 
for our ships, stripped for war service, had only 
two or three boats apiece, and in addition to this 
scarcity of numbers, there was the anxiety about 
their crews to be considered. Should rough 
weather occur, with a rising sea, there would 
certainly be great difficulty in picking them up. 
It was finally decided that the Massachusetts, 
New York, and Oregon should furnish these 
picket boats. When Admiral Sampson, as a 
further precaution, determined to illuminate the 
entrance with searchlights and the Massachusetts 
and Oregon, with the addition of the Iowa, were 
again selected for duty, I felt that honors were 
coming our way a little too thickly. Every night, 
within close range of the Spanish batteries, our 
searchlight making us veritably a shining mark, I 
used to look at the dark forms of my crew sleep- 
ing on deck, for the heat made anything else im- 
possible, and think what havoc in their ranks a 
well-directed fire would make. With this cause 



286 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

for uneasiness added to the trying picket-boat 
duty, I thought that the burden might have been 
shared to advantage with the Indiana, Texas, 
and Brooklyn. 

It may not be out of place here to try to give 
some idea of the pecuharities of Santiago harbor 
and the position of its fortifications. There are 
hills on either side of its narrow entrance, on the 
one side precipitous, and on the other sloping. 
The picturesque mass of the Morro crowns the 
abrupt eastern shore, while on the western slope 
lay the Socapa batteries. Directly at the en- 
trance the channel makes a sharp turn to the 
right, seeming to hide itself behind the craggy 
headland of the Morro. It becomes visible 
again as it curves to the left to round Socapa 
Point, then with another bend to the right vanishes 
behind the high land of Punta Gorda, which to 
the eye of the observer from outside would almost 
appear to close the passage. The city of Santiago 
lies four miles above this tortuous entrance, so 
it will be seen if we had been obliged to force our 
way in to fight the Spanish fleet, we would have 
been exposed to the fire from the Morro and Socapa 
batteries, then to the mines in the channel, and 



SANTIAGO 287 

to the batteries on Punta Gorda, before we were 
able to reach the squadron which was anchored 
near the city. The batteries would have given 
us little concern, since experience had taught us 
how inefficiently they were served, but the mines 
were a real menace, for if our leading ship were 
sunk by one, it would block the way for all the 
others. I learned afterwards from Admiral Samp- 
son that if circumstances had compelled him to 
force an entrance, he had intended to have the 
Oregon lead in, so I might have been vitally 
interested in the position of these mines. 

On June 6 our fleet moved forward in two 
columns to begin the first bombardment. The 
New York and Brooklyn led, followed by the 
battleships and the New Orleans, Marblehead, and 
Yankee. The columns opened to right and left 
as they drew within range and brought their 
broadsides to bear. This bombardment — as 
well as the others following it — was a very one- 
sided affair. The Spaniards never fired a shot 
while we were taking position, and if they replied 
at all during the attack, it was so seldom as to be 
scarcely noticeable. As we drew out, they manned 
their batteries and fired a few scattering shots 



288 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

after us. Even the most conspicuous target did 
not seem to rouse them to activity, for in a later 
bombardment the Oregon was ordered to steam 
in, in advance of the Hne, and silence or destroy a 
rifle-gun battery on the Punta Gorda, which, as 
will be remembered, was some distance inside the 
entrance. After the Oregon had taken her posi- 
tion and begun firing, the Massachusetts and 
Indiana joined her, and the battery was very 
quickly disposed of, without damage resulting 
on any of the three ships. 

On June 10, the Oregon's marine guard, under 
Captain Randolph Dickens and Lieutenant Davis, 
in company with marines from the Marhlehead had 
landed on the eastern head of Guantanamo Bay, 
the first armed force ^ to set foot on Cuban soil. 
Later in the afternoon, the Panther arrived with 
the marine battalion, and despite several annoy- 
ing attacks, the position was held during the rest 
of the war. This guard from the Oregon seemed 
destined to see stormy service, for at least half of 
them, with the Newark's marines, were sent after- 

^ The Marhlehead covered this landing, and her commander. Cap- 
tain Bowman H. McCalla, was afterwards in the expedition to re- 
lieve Peking, and in spite of at least three wounds received was 
always the first in advance and the last in retreat. 



SANTIAGO 289 

wards to form part of the Legation guard at Pe- 
king, and in the siege that followed many were 
killed and hardly one escaped un wounded. 
Lieutenant Davis fell at Tientsin. 

The latter part of June, the entrance of our 
army into Cuba brought complications in its 
train. If it had landed beyond the Morro to the 
eastward and, moving along the crest of the high 
plateau on which it stands, had made it and the 
Socapa batteries objects of attack, we could have 
protected one flank during this proceeding, and 
if it were successful, could then have gone into the 
channel with our small boats and picked up the 
mines. This would have left the way open for 
us to enter the harbor and tackle the Spanish 
fleet. But the army, instead of adopting this 
cooperative course, had marched inland towards 
the city of Santiago, where it had fought bravely, 
but had met with such heavy losses that General 
Shafter wanted Admiral Sampson to force the 
harbor entrance and come to his aid. This did 
not seem good strategy to those who knew that the 
capture or destruction of Cervera's squadron was 
the real object of the Cuban campaign, but it 



290 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

was obvious that something would have to be 
done and done quickly, for the yellow fever 
season was approaching, and that scourge would 
have mowed down our forces more relentlessly 
than any human enemy. So early in the morning 
of July 3, Admiral Sampson in the New York 
steamed eastward to Siboney for a conference with 
General Shafter. The Massachusetts was away 
at Guantanamo, coaling. Owing to the absence 
of these two vessels, the other ships had slightly 
changed their usual positions in the semicircle 
fronting the harbor. The Brooklyn was at the 
end of the line to the westward, then came the 
battleships Texas, Iowa, Oregon and Indiana, in 
the order named. Also there were the two small 
gunboats Gloucester and Vixen, stationed at the 
eastern and western ends of the circle.^ 

It was Sunday morning, and a beautiful, clear 
day. I was in my cabin and had just buckled 
on my sword and taken up my cap to go on deck, 
for the first call for inspection had sounded, when 
suddenly the brassy clang of the alarm gongs 

^ The Gloucester s position at the eastern end of the line enabled 
her to follow and make a brilliant attack upon the enemy's torpedo 
boats, while the Vixen, being just in the track of the Spanish cruisers, 
could only retreat, but this was done in the most creditable way. 



SANTIAGO 291 

echoed through the ship, and the orderly burst 
through the cabin door, exclaiming, "The Spanish 
fleet, sir! It's coming out!" 

I hurried on deck, thinking it must be a false 
alarm, but as I hastened forward, man after man 
greeted me with, "You'll see her in a minute, 
Captain ! She's behind the Morro now ! " 

Just then I saw clearly enough the military top, 
and then the bow and smokestack of a man-of- 
war sliding rapidly past the second point in the 
harbor, and as she disappeared behind the Morro, 
the leading ship rushed out from the entrance 
with a speed that seemed inspired by the assur- 
ance of victory, firing her guns as she came. 

One rapid glance around showed me that under 
the energetic supervision of Lieutenant Com- 
mander Cogswell, everything was being done in 
preparation for battle. The Oregon was thrilling 
with life. Men were hurrying to their stations at 
the guns, engines were throbbing, screws beginning 
to revolve. For the moment I interested myself 
in the firing of a six-pounder near the bridge, 
with the idea of spreading the alarm to our other 
ships. There has been much said about who fired 
the first shot at Santiago. It is but reasonable 



292 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

to suppose it was either the Iowa, or the Oregon, 
for they were the only vessels, which, from their 
stations, had a clear view of the Santiago channel 
and consequently of the ship passing Socapa 
point. 

We had a general order from the Admiral, if the 
enemy should come out to close in on him at once, 
but I am sure every commander was obeying his 
natural impulse rather than any order, when 
the forward movement began. Before the lead- 
ing Spanish ship, the Maria Teresa, was obscured 
by the smoke of the cannonading which started 
immediately, I had seen that she was heading to 
the westward, and as it was almost certain the 
others would follow her, and it was equally plain 
they would all be out of the harbor before I 
could reach its entrance, I too turned west. 
Suddenly, from behind the curtain of dense 
smoke, the Iowa emerged, close on our starboard 
side. I gave the order, "hard a-starboard ! " for 
it was evident that we were drawing ahead of her 
slowly and ought to go clear. Just then, some one 
near me shouted, "Look out for the Texas!'' and 
I turned to see her looming through the smoke 
clouds on our port bow. For one intense moment 



SANTIAGO 293 

it seemed as if three of our ships might be put out 
of action then and there, leaving only the Indiana 
and the lightly armored Brooklyn to cope with the 
foe. The only thing to be done was to put our 
helm hard a-port, with the hope that we might 
clear the Texas and that the Iowa, seeing that we 
must either cross her bows or run her down, 
would sheer sharply to starboard. Captains 
Philip and Evans, both fine seamen, must have 
instantly grasped the situation and acted on it, 
for we did pass between them, but by so narrow 
a margin that I felt that coming to close quarters 
with the Spaniards would be infinitely preferable 
to repeating that experience. 

A little afterwards the smoke lifted, and some- 
what ahead of us, and on our starboard bow, we 
saw all four Spanish ships, and realized that at 
last our meeting with the long-looked-for fleet 
was actually to take place. They showed no 
signs of the severe punishment they had received 
at the entrance, and as we did not know then how 
much their machinery had deteriorated, I noticed 
with surprise that the Oregon was not only keeping 
pace with them, but was even gaining a little. 
Indeed, seeing nothing between them and us, for 



294 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

our less speedy companions were considerably in 
the rear, I said to the navigator, "Well, Nichol- 
son, it seems we have them on our hands after 
all." 

At that moment, some distance outside, and 
therefore on our port bow, I saw the Brooklyn, 
Commodore Schley's flagship, and commanded by 
my old friend, F. A. Cook. She was a little 
ahead of us, and her guns were doing good work. 
Although we knew that with her light armor and 
less powerful battery she could not give us the 
aid one of the battleships would have afforded, 
yet the feeling of having a comrade in arms near 
us was much, and I remember saying with some 
emotion to one of those standing beside me, 
"My old roommate is in command of that ship." 

At almost the same moment, as we afterwards 
learned, when we tore out of the smoke clouds 
and were sighted by the little group upon the 
Brooklyn's bridge, the relief at our approach broke 
out in exclamations of, "Here comes the Oregon! 
It's the Oregon, God bless her ! " Ensign Johnston, 
who was close at my side all that day, reported 
that the Brooklyn had a signal flying, which read 
"Follow the flag", and I immediately ordered it 



SANTIAGO 295 

to be repeated on the Oregon, so that the vessels 
further astern might see it. 

About this time we noticed signs of distress 
on the sternmost Spaniard. This was the Maria 
Teresa, Cervera's flagship. As she had come out 
of the harbor first and then fallen back to the rear, 
I have always thought it must have been Cer- 
vera's chivalrous idea — he came of one of the old 
Castilian families to whom such ideas are natural 
— to cover the retreat of his flying ships and to 
bear the brunt of the combat. Smoke was seen 
presently rolling up from the doomed vessel, and 
making a sharp turn, she headed for the beach. 
As her colors were still flying, we raked her as we 
went past — I remember it went to my heart to 
do it — and pushed on for the next ahead, the 
Oquendo, We closed in on her to a distance of 
about eight hundred yards, the nearest that 
vessels approached that day. She could not 
stand the punishment long. Fires broke out all 
over her, and she too ran for the shore. Nichol- 
son said, " Captain, that vessel could be destroyed 
now," but I answered, "No, that's a dead cock 
in the pit. The others can attend to her. We'll 
push on for the two ahead." 



MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

It took us a little time to come abreast of the 
Vizcaya. We kept up a continuous fire upon her, 
but it was nearly eleven o'clock before she turned 
for the beach, in flames. As this last battle- 
torn wreck of what had once been a proud and 
splendid ship fled to the shore like some sick and 
wounded thing, seeking a place to die, I could 
feel none of that exultation that is supposed to 
come with victory. If I had seen my own decks 
covered with blood, and my officers and men dying 
around me, perhaps resentment would have sup- 
plied the necessary ingredient, but as it was, the 
faces of the women and children in far-away Spain, 
the widows and orphans of this July third, rose 
before me so vividly that I had to draw comfort 
from the thought that a decisive victory is after 
all more merciful than a prolonged struggle, 
and that every life lost to-day in breaking down 
the bridge to Spain might mean a hundred saved 
hereafter. 

The Colon, the only remaining ship, had drawn 
several miles ahead, and as she kept on with un- 
diminished speeed, I thought a shell or two falling 
near her might give her a hint that it would be 
well to surrender. So a little after twelve o'clock. 



SANTIAGO 297 

when she was still at a distance from us, I con- 
sulted Nicholson and Ackerman — both of them 
ordnance experts — and Eberle, who had been 
doing fine work in our forward turret, as to whether 
the great elevation required at so long a range 
would be too much of a strain upon guns and 
mounts. We decided to fire once with range set 
for nine thousand, five hundred yards. The shot 
fell short and we were preparing to increase the 
range, when the chief engineer, who had just come 
up on deck, said, ** Captain, I was thankful when 
I heard that gun. I was meaning to ask you if 
one could be fired. Our men down below are 
nearly played out, but if they can only hear the 
guns, they will brace up again." 

At 1.10 P.M. one of our shots fell close alongside 
the Colon, and she headed for the beach, her colors 
coming down, and with them the last vestige of 
Spain's power in that New World which had once 
known her as its ruler. 



CHAPTER XII 
A Sailor's Log 

After a victory so absolute, it is usual to begin 
to count the cost, but to our amazement, our 
ships, one after another, hoisted the signal "no 
casualties." The Brooklyn was the only excep- 
tion, and she suffered the loss of but one man. 
We had a glorious Fourth of July present to offer 
the nation, for seldom, if ever, in naval history, 
has there been an instance of such complete 
destruction of an attacking fleet. 

The Cristobal Colon was the only enemy vessel 
that had not been severely injured. Captain Cook 
of the Brooklyn received her surrender. We looked 
forward to seeing her become an effective addition 
to our navy, in which the name she bore would have 
seemed singularly appropriate, but either through 
accident or treachery, her sea valves had been 
opened, and in spite of the efforts of her prize 
crew to save her, she sank where she lay. Her 

298 



A SAILOR'S LOG 299 

last resting place is one of the most beautiful 
spots on the Cuban coast. She lies where Mount 
Tarquino rises abruptly from the shore, to a height 
of eight thousand feet, green to its summit, and 
its base bathed in that bright, blue water so 
wonderfully rendered in W. F. Halsall's spirited 
canvas,^ where the Oregon is seen firing the last 
shot in the battle of Santiago. 

One of our officers who had boarded the Colon 
brought me a large silver platter and cover be- 
longing to her wardroom outfit, for as he pointed 
out, they were both marked with my initials, "C. C." 

The Oregon s officers and crew could indeed 
feel, as the signal " Congratulations over the great 
victory and thanks for your splendid assistance" 
went up from the Brooklyn, that they had de- 
served well of the navy and the nation. With 
noble endurance and unwearying devotion they 
had brought their ship in splendid condition to the 
scene of the conflict where they had played a fore- 
most part.2 As I was rowed over in my gig to 

1 Now in the National Museum at Washington. Taken to San 
Francisco by the Navy Department for the Exposition, where it was 
constantly guarded by sailors from the Oregon. 

2 It was disappointing that these brave and devoted men could 
not have had the satisfaction that the tribute planned for their ship 



300 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

report on board the New York, her crew cheered 
for the Oregon and her captain so heartily and 
repeatedly, that after rising myself to acknowledge 
their tribute, I asked my boat's crew to rise, 
which they did amidst a storm of cheers. 

There are a few occasions in a man's life which 
will remain with him always. That was one, 
and another, which I can never forget, was the 
day when, broken in health, I left the Oregon. It 
was a pleasure to find that the boat in which I 
was to be rowed to the northbound steamer was 
manned by my oflBcers. That is an honor deeply 
appreciated by any captain. But I was surprised 
and hurt, as we left the ship's side, that none of 
the men were visible. Suddenly, as if moved by 
one spring, they rose from the decks where they 
had been lying concealed, and led by old Murphy, 
the chief boatswain's mate, joined in a ringing 
shout of "God bless our captain." So the last 
impression I had of the Oregon, as we rowed away, 
was a forest of waving arms and tossing caps, 

at the formal opening of the Panama Canal would have afforded 
them. It was intended that the Oregon with as many of her 
original complement as could be gathered and with the President and 
Secretary of the Navy on the bridge beside her commanding officer 
would lead the International fleets through the Canal. 



A SAILOR'S LOG 301 

seen through a mist, although the day was clear 
and bright. 

During my recovery from illness, it was a great 
happiness to me to read of the enthusiasm with 
which the Oregon was received when she came 
north with the other ships. The fact that I was 
not bearing a prominent part in these festivities 
rather added to than detracted from this feeling, 
for I have never learned to be happy or easy in the 
spot-light. 

And so it was that when my name was joined 
to those of Sampson and Schley, in the Senate 
bill which proposed to make the three of us vice 
admirals, and owing to the jealousies and strife 
of the famous contest after Santiago, it failed to 
pass, I can truthfully say that it was no matter 
of regret to me. The prominence and exacting 
duties of such a position would have been too 
much of a strain on me at that time, and I feel 
that better health and longer life have been 
mine, in remaining a rear admiral and retiring 
at the age of sixty -two. But what did give me 
the keenest satisfaction was the knowledge that 
nearly all the officers senior to me on the navy 
list, men who had long been my superiors in 



302 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

rank, such as Watson, Higginson, Wadleigh, and 
Chester, who are still living, and Casey, Barker, 
Cotton, Sands, and Cook, generously ignoring 
the fact that I would be placed above them, all 
expressed the hope that I would be made a vice 
admiral. 

With this same feeling in mind, when President 
Roosevelt wished to send me as Naval Represent- 
ative to the coronation of King Edward, I was 
rather glad to be able to excuse myself on the 
ground that my income as a captain would hardly 
be adequate to the demands of such a position. 
The President very kindly suggested that he might 
be able to secure an extra grade for me. I told 
him of the objections I had always felt to that 
sort of promotion and added that as my small 
experience of royalty had been limited to a Siwash 
Indian chief and a king of the Cannibal Islands, I 
should have little to guide me in court functions. 
He told me to take a month to think it over, and 
as at the end of that time I was still of the same 
opinion, he very generously allowed me to nomi- 
nate the officer to go in my place. This gave me 
the pleasure of naming my friend Rear Admiral 
Watson, whose splendid Civil War record, I had 



A SAILOR'S LOG 

always felt, should have brought him more rec- 
ognition both during and after the Spanish War. 
I was with Admiral Watson when he went to 
thank the President for his appointment. Roose- 
velt spoke of his strong desire to have had me go, 
but added that as it appeared a scalping knife or 
tomahawk might have been brandished at the 
Court of St. James if I had reverted to my only 
associations with royalty, it was perhaps better 
on the whole that another should take my place. 

During the years 1899 to 1901 I was second in 
command at League Island, a navy yard then of 
minor importance. For a part of this time, how- 
ever, I was also a member of the General Board, 
which had just then been formed. This was, 
and continues to be, the most interesting duty 
open to a naval officer, since it provides for con- 
stant and prompt interchange of ideas between 
officers serving the navy afloat and those whose 
experience has best fitted them to watch its in- 
terests on shore and to present these ideas in 
concrete form for the consideration of the Navy 
Department. 

From 1901 to 1904 I was Governor of the Naval 
Home in Philadelphia, and afterwards had duty 



304 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

in Washington as President of the Examining and 
Retiring Boards. These last two positions I 
retained until my own retirement August 10, 
1905. I was offered the command of the European 
Squadron and later that of the Atlantic Fleet. 

Our stay in Philadelphia was rendered delightful 
to us by the many agreeable social relations we 
formed while there. For Philadelphians, while 
notoriously reluctant to let down barriers to the 
stranger, once they have admitted him within 
their gates, are the most hospitable of people. 
It was at this time that I became intimate with 
Doctor S. Weir Mitchell, a friendship only broken 
by his death. His lively interest in all things 
historical pertaining to our country included the 
voyage of the Oregon and her part at Santiago, 
and he often urged me to put down in black and 
white what I could remember of it. He was 
delighted with the diary kept by a marine, one of 
my cabin orderlies, in the Oregon, regarding it as 
a unique piece of literature. This record came 
into my hands during a winter I was spending in 
Greenfield, my wife's old home. Written solely 
for the perusal of the author's sisters, it had come 
into the hands of one of their friends, who sent 



A SAILOR'S LOG 305 

it to me. I showed it to Chief Justice John Adams 
Aiken of the Superior Court of Massachusetts, 
who enjoyed it so greatly that he had a private 
edition printed for circulation among his friends. 
I can think of no better way to end this narra- 
tive than with Judge Aiken's preface and these 
"short and simple annals" of "The Voyage of 
the Or eg on. ''^ 

"to the reader" 

"Almost ten years have passed since the country 
followed, in scanty telegram from port to port, the 
Oregon speeding down one side of a continent and 
up the other to Bahia; then came two anxious, 
silent weeks when apprehension and fear pictured 
four Spanish cruisers with a pack of torpedo boats 
sailing out into the west athwart the lone ship's 
course, the suspense ending only when tidings 
came of her arrival at Jupiter Inlet; then off 
Santiago, after a month of waiting, there is the 
outcoming of Cervera's squadron, when this 
splendid ship, with steam all the time up, leaps to 
the front of her sisters of the fleet, like an un- 
leashed hound, and joins the historic company of 
the Bon Homme Richard, the Constitution, the. 



306 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

Hartfordy in our naval annals. From the start 
at the Golden Gate to the beaching of the Colon 
is a succession of events full of thrilling merit and 
vitality which official bickerings and envyings 
cannot change or obscure. 

**The story has been told from the standpoint 
of the quarterdeck, the courtroom and the depart- 
ment bureau. Here we have the artless journal 
of an unlettered sailor, written between decks, 
without the least notion that it would ever be 
read apart from his own family circle. The pages 
of his record give an insight into the mutual 
regard and confidence existing between the cap- 
tain and his crew which made the voyage the 
memorable achievement that it was." 

THE VOYAGE OF THE OREGON 

So we started on the 19th of March and I will 
try and give you some idea of our trip on this 
side of the U. S. Capt McCommick got sick and 
had to be relieved to go on sick leif . Capt Clark 
was in command of the Monteray at the time and 
he was a young Capt too. there was no other 
one around there at that time, so he was detailed 



A SAILOR'S LOG , 307 

to take comand of the Oregon and a prowed 
man he was too, and we wer a prowed crew along 
with him. He was glad he got the ship and we 
wer glad we got him. we knew he was a good 
Seaman. Any way he called us all aft on the 
quarter deck and read out his orders and told us 
that we wer going towards south America. I 
will now try and give you the trip. 

March 19. 1898 Up anchor at 8 A.M. in San 
Francisco Bay. I had the 8 to 12 watch and 
we past through the Golden Gate at 9.15 A.M. 
and left the Fairwell Bouy at 10.5 A.M. and 
shaped our course for Callao, Peru, it being 
S. E. i E, and at the same time we drop over 
the Patent Log in the Briny, the Capt gave 
orders to give 75 turns and that brought her 
out about 11.5 knots. Every thing is runing 
smooth and all Hunk. 

March 20. Sliding along at 11.8 knots gate. 
Everything working beautyfull. nothing of in- 
terest going on, except the fine Wether. 

March 21. Changed course at 10 A.M. to S. E. 
Will not put down any thing for some time to 
come as there is nothing unusual going on. But 



308 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

I wonder if we will get there to catch up with 
the Band Wagon. 

April 4. Arived at Calao, Peru, 5.00 A.M., very 
pleasant trip all the way down the coast, we 
are doing quick work so far. started to coal 
ship at 8 A.M. and as soon as we get enough 
on board we will pull right out for the straights 
of Magellan and there join the Marietta, our 
little Gun Boat, which will scout the straights 
for us in case there is a Spanish Torpedo Boat 
in one of the Many Coves. She can go in 
shallow water as she is a light draft boat and 
at the same time order coal for us. 

We have allready made one of the grandest 
runs on record. Just think of it, a First Class 
Battle Ship making 4800 miles in just 16 days 
and used 900 Tons of Coal, That being the 
longest trip on record for a First Class Battle Ship. 

April 5. We are now laying over an old city 
in Peru, they say when some of the ships 
hoist there anchor they sometimes rais some of 
the old houses or part of them with the anchor. 
This old place is some 109 years old, the Old 
Callao, I mean. 109 years ago they had an 



A SAILOR'S LOG 309 

Earthquake and Tidle Wave hear together and 
did up the city. The public hear speak noth- 
ing put Spanish and the Capt thinks there 
might be som sympathizers amongst Them, so 
we are keeping the strickest Kind of watch on 
the ship. We have two steam cutters pattrol- 
ing the ship all night and men station in the 
fighting tops as sharp shooters, the steam cut- 
ters are armed with two automatic 22 m.m. 
Rifles, so that would more than be a match for 
a ordinary Torpedo Boat, and while all the 
Post on Deck were Double we consider our- 
selves pretty safe. They are puting coal on 
board as fast as they can, working night and 
day to get it all on. we are going to take a big 
lot this time. 

April 6. Pay day today, put on Sea stors to- 
day along with the coal, it all gos togather. 
But what is the diferance, this is War times 
and we are trying to get in it and I think we 
will if we get a show. I bought a nice pair of 
shoes today for 3.50 in U. S. Gold, there is 
no liberty to any one hear so we have to buy 
something that is some good to us. Expect to 



SIO MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

coal ship all night so as to pull out to 
morrow. 

April 7. Got the coal on this morning at 4 A. 
M. there is about 1750 tons on now, never had 
so much on before, got 100 tons on deck in 
sacks, we are knocking some of the coal dust 
off the sides. She is a very dirty ship now and 
expect to remain so for a long time to come. 
There is some talk of a Spanish Gun Boat or 
a Torpedo Boat in the Straights waiting for 
us. But I think that will be all right when the 
Marietta gets there to patrole the place for us. 
We expect to go out to night some time. 7 
p. m. left Port. The Capt dont know wether 
to go round the Horn or not. But if we go, 
as the Dutchman says By the Horn around, 
we will get a shaking up. But every body 
seems to think we can take care of our selves 
where ever we go. Capt Clark is all right, we 
dont think he is afraid of the whole Spanish 
Navy, the wether is very fogy. Expect it to 
lift when we get a little ways. 

April 9. Alls Well, every thing doing fine. 

April 10. Just came on watch; have all four 



A SAILOR'S LOG 311 

boilers on now and we are peging along at a 
13.7 and a 14 knot gate, you dont know you 
are at sea in this ship if you would stop be- 
tween Decks, guess there is not much doing 
to day, so I will steal forward for a while the 
old gent sleeps a little. I forgot to speak of 
having a little practis with the 6 pounders. 
They threw over Boxes and barrels and as we 
would get away from them we would fire on 
them for Torpedo Boats, we did some good 
shooting. All the Marines Man the seccondary 
Battry. The Capt got the chief engineer to 
fix the 8 inch turets to turn in Board 9 more 
degrees so as to shoot over the stern of the 
ship. So that would bring to bear on one point 
2, 13 inch Guns 4, 8 inch Guns 2, 6 inch Guns 
and six 6 Pounders aft, and the same forward. 
We could shoot for a Broad side 4, 13 inch 4, 
8 inch 2, 6inch and about 12, 6 Pounders on 
either side. 

Of corse this is Sunday and we all ought to 
be good. But we will be as good as we can By 
having a Gen feild day and clean up a little, 
as this is the first chance we have had to do 
any scrubing since we left San Francisco, Cal, 



312 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

I think we will meet the Marietta in the 
Straights of Magellan, we have found some 
grate Bars for her under the coal dust. We 
all think Capt Clark is going to be a ring tail 
snorter for fighting. I dont think it will be 
easy to whip him, he seems to be so quick to 
catch on to every little thing, he is all over 
the ship at once and he talks to every body, 
stops any one to ask them any thing he wants 
to know about the ship, he is very quick to 
take the advantage of every little thing. 

April 11. Very heavy wether. Wind Blowing 
Great Guns and a head sea. But we are Buck- 
ing it and making 11.6 knots, the Capt dont 
think we will run up against any thing in the 
shape of a Torpedo Boat in the Straights. We 
had some more practis today with the 6 Pound- 
ers and did some good work. I think we 
could make it very interesting for a Torpedo 
Boat. I dont see how they could get at us, 
unless it was in the night and then there would 
have to be something the matter with our 
search lights and all hands on Board would 
have to have the "Buck Feaver." 



A SAILOR'S LOG 313 

April 1^. We lost a little today on account 
of the forward 13 inch Turet, somthing got 
Jamed. all going well once more, and still 
bucking a head sea and making 11.7 knots right 
along. 4 P. M. Heavy wind has turned into 
a gale, but she is like a duck on a Mill Pond 
and still making 10 knots. Gale or no Gale, 
she has not roled over 10 degrees since we left 
Port Orchard, Wash. 

April 15. Whooping her up for all she is worth, 
want to make all she can. Wether is fine but 
quite Cold. Making all the way from 14 to 15 
knots. 

April 16. Everything is still doing well, and 
still going a mill tail. Passed Smiths Straights 
the first part of this morning, early, and in the 
fog that has Just come on we are still going it. 
the fog raised for a while and showed us the 
Destination Island, and then we wer shure we 
had only 30 miles to go to get in the Straights. 
Just at Dark we droped our mud hook in just 
45 fathoms of water in the entrence of the 
Straights of Magellan. 9.45 P. M. had the 8 
to 12 watch and She more than blew. I 



314 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

though the ship would drift. But she held on 
like grim Deth to a dead nigger. The wind 
Blowed so hard I expected to be lifted off my 
feet. 

April 17. Making all posable speed to Sandy 
Point, making about 15 knots ever since we 
started this morning. 12 O clock Midday, 
there is some of the most beautyfull and 
grandest sights I have ever had the pleasure 
to look upon. I am shure if I could only 
write on the subject I could make it very in- 
teresting. I never seen such beautifull wild 
nature in all my travels; there is mountain 
after mountain of Glacier and they seem to 
have all the colors of the rainbow, it was a little 
cold too and the whole Mountain sparkled like 
diamonds. 6. P. M. drop anchor in the Harber 
of Sandy Point, Chili. Had the public bin able 
to see us. They would not stop runing for the 
next week to come, for we cleared ship for action 
and had the guns all loaded up and ready for 
business and to Blaze away at any thing that 
looked as thoe it wanted to fight. Capt Clark 
belives in for warned for armed, and takes no 



A SAILOR'S LOG 315 

chances, had the two Steam Cutters patroling 
the ship as usual. 

She made one of the grandest runs on record 
for 11 hours making an average of 15^ knots ; 
it knocks the Worlds record sky high. Just 
think of a first Class Battle Ship making 15i 
knots for 11 straight hours on a straight away 
run, and we all think she could beat that time. 
But we had over the bow 2 anchors with the 
flukes of both in the water 3 feet. I am sure 
that held her Back 2 tenths of a knot. And 
the Marietta is not hear, the Capt dont know 
what has become of her. 

April 18. Well the Marietta is hear this morn- 
ing, she came in at 12.15 this morning. She 
was in the straights when we past her, she was 
laying off in one of the coves waiting for us, 
the man on look-out sighted us as we pased her, 
and told his capt and he said let her go, we 
will up anchor and overhall her in a short 
time, it hapened that the lookout was on 
board of the Oregon and he told his Capt that 
the Marietta could never catch the Oregon. 
Well any way she came in a little after midnight. 



316 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

The first thing this morning we started to 
coal up. I ha vent found out how many tons 
we are going to take hear. But the price is 
$25 a ton. I think we will take about 800 tons, 
all the men on the Marietta say they had a very 
rough trip. We are in a great rush to get out 
of hear. Capt Clark asked Capt Simons if he 
had any towing Bits. Looks as thoe we were 
going to snake him along with us. I am de- 
tailed to go into the fighting top to night as 
capt of one Pounder and look out, we have a 
double watch on now all the time and it makes 
the Duty very hard thies war times. 

April 19. Still coaling up, was working all 
night to night, expect to be through to night 
sometime. Puting on sea stors along with the 
coal. Meat, Can goods, coal dust, all mixed up 
togather. What is the defirance, it all goes 
thies times. The Marietta had some trouble in 
geting coal to day. She only got 40 tons since 
1 A. M. this morning, so Capt Clark ordered 
him to go along side of the Coal Hulk and 
take all he wanted, for Capt sais we must have 
the coal and therefor must take it as we are 



A SAILOR'S LOG 317 

going out of hear to morrow. 3.30 P. M. there 
was an Argentine Gun Boat came in Port and 
I would not be surprised to see a scrap hear 
before we left. Chili and ' Argentine are in 
hot disput over this place, it seems they both 
clame it to there Boundry line. Chili sent 
a company of Soldiers hear the 18th and they 
expect a Transport with som Soldiers from Ar- 
gentine to night som time, so I for one would 
like to see a good scrap of som kind for an ap- 
petizer for us. Just to take the rough edge off 
you know, we are standing by our Guns all 
the time and sleep by them by night. While 
the Jackies coal ship all hands are doing there 
part and there is no fudging going on. of 
corse there is all kinds of War talk in the air. 

April 20. At 12.30 A. M. still coaling up. 
Every thing working smooth and nothing to 
stop, it is a beautyfull night and the Southern 
Cross looms up with more beauty than I ever 
seen befor. But the ships bum Boat is all 
right too, she loomed up with a big ketle of 
hot Steaming cocoa, Just the thing a man 
wants when he has the mid watch, the wether 



318 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

is very cold down hear, a few of the men is 
going ashore to morrow. I dont think I will be 
able to go as I will have the afternoon watch, 
any way I dont care much as I am use to the 
ship now. I could stay hear for a year. I 
wish we wer around to Key West so as to be 
with the Band wagon when she starts. Mr. 
Giles, Midshipman, is a very sick man, he was 
taken ill in the Cabin this morning. I went 
for the Doctor for him at 1.45 A. M. Doc said 
he had a hemorrhage of the lungs caused by 
concussion. 3 A. M. he is asleep and doing 
fine now. I woulden like to see him die, he is 
a fine fellow. 3. 45 A. M. coal all on board. 4.30 
P. M. the Capt is on the warpath, he is mader 
than a wet hen for he tryed to get out of hear 
by 2 P. M. to day. But could not on the account 
of the Marietta having some trouble with her 
coal, so we both go tomorrow morning at daybreak. 

April 21. Called all hands at 5.30 A. M. and up 
anchor at 6 A. M. I called the old man at 5.40 
A. M. Signaled over to pullout and we are 
tailing on behind untill we get out of the 
Straights, going about 10 knots ; at 6 Bells met 



A SAILOR'S LOG 319 

a steamer Bound for Klondyke, we drop a 
whale boat and sent our Boarding officer to find 
out the news if there was any But was dis- 
apointed. She had no news, she was 15 days 
from Rio Janeiro. 7.30 P. M. all is going well. 
The Marietta is astern now and likely to re- 
main so untill we get in the next Port, we 
past another steamer about 3 P. M. and when 
I go on watch to night at 8 I will try and find 
out something about her. Came off at 12 mid- 
night and she signaled to us no news of War. 
We have to go slow on account of the Marietta, 
had some targate practis today with all the 
Guns. We travel at night with all lights out 
now adays so as not to let any thing slip up on 
us, and at the same time slip up on them. 

April 22. Wind is very high, lost a life Boat 
this morning at 5.20 A. M. from the after 
Davits, good thing the wind is head on, the Sea 
is runing high. 8 P. M. Sea and wind has gon 
down considerable. Making about lOi knots. 
Ellis is sick poor man, I am standing his watch 
to night. 11.45 P. M. going about the same 
and all is well. 



320 MY FIFTY YEAES IN THE NAVY 

April 23. I think we will have a dash of Gen 
Quarters, Just to shake the Boys up. the old 
man is anxious to have targate Practis, he be- 
lieves this ship whips the shoes off any thing 
that floats in the line of Battle ships, of corse 
Baring a Torpedo if one should hapen to hit, 
and I think the old man is right too, for this 
crew feels scrapy now. I think we would fight 
fer Keeps. Had Gen Quarters in the morning 
and Church in the afternoon. 

April M. All is well, at 12 Oclock noon to day 
we wer in Lat. 44° 23m and Lon 57° 48m. 
had some fire drill to day mixed with a little 
collision drill. 

April 25. 4 A. M. Just came on watch and I 
am going on deck to get a cup of cocoa to wake 
me up abit. the old man is in the Chart house 
snoozing, so I guess it is safe to go. Every 
thing has settled down to the same old thing 
except when we have some Targate Practis By 
throwing boxes over board. 

April 26. 8 A. M. All is well, same thing. Mak- 
ing lOi sometimes 11 knots. Had clear ship 
for action today. 



A SAILOR'S LOG 321 

April 27. Every body begins to feal the trip 
now, geting tiresome now. since they have 
taken all of our ditty Boxes and benches and 
all extra mess chests and stored them away, we 
have no place to sit down except on deck and 
let our feet hang over, then the men forward 
cant get enough water to keep themselves clean. 
I am more lucky than most of them for I have 
a chance to steal a Bucketful one every night, 
our cook is no good, hq makes sour Bread and 
would make good schrapnel for clearing the 
decks, and of corse your humble servant has 
to chew Hard Tack, had more Targate practis 
to day. 

April 28. good stiff Breeze to day. Expect to 
have more targate practis to day with ful charges 
of amanition ; no practis, wind too high. 

April 29. good day to day, guess we will have 
it to day, no we dont have it. the old man 
has changed his mind and we will try and make 
Port to morrow. 

April 30. Started to pul out this morning at 
5.30 A. M., useing forsed draught, making 14.5 
knots, going to try and make it by 4 P. M., have 



322 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

a head wind and light head sea. Droped anchor 
at 3 P. M. in the beautyfull harber of Rio de 
Janeiro, and befor the Mud hook struck the 
botom we had the news that war was declared 
on the 21st of April 1898, the very day we 
puled out of Sandy Point, as soon as every 
thing was put to order we Broke out the Band 
to give us the Star Spangled Baner, and the 
Crew diden do a thing But yell and whoop 
her up, so they had to play it over 4 times. 
The Marietta got in at 7 P. M. The Forts at 
this place were not going to let her in. But 
when they see her Signal they let her pass O. K. 
started to coal up at 8.25 P. M. and we get out 
of hear as soon as we can. I hear the Spanish 
has got one of our Merchant ships, the Shanan- 
dore, loaded with English goods. I wonder 
how that is going to com out. Every one on 
this ship is crasie to get at the Spanish. 

May 1. Just com on watch. Beautyfull morn- 
ing and still coaling ship. Hear is where you 
can get lots of sour frute and Bananas by the 
ship load for a little mony. But we are not 
aloud to Buy any thing that isent sour on ac- 



A SAILOR'S LOG 323 

count of Yellow Feaver at this place. The Bra- 
zilian soldiers stop up all night to be up erly 
in the morning; they started to give us Revelee 
about 3 Oclock this morning, dident get through 
until 4 A. M. it sounds very pretty early in the 
morning when you are all ready awake, and such 
a beautifull morning as this is you can hear the 
echo of the drums up in the hils far away. You 
would all most wish you could stop hear all the 
time and be a Brazilian for good. But I coulden 
leave my Dear land for all the pretty sights Ive 
seen togather. 

May 2. American Minerster Just com on board 
and told us the news of the Battle of Manila, 
the Yanks did up every thing there, coal is 
coming on very slow and the old man is geting 
ancious to get out. 

May 3. going out to-morrow morning at 6 A. M. 
The crew is very enthusiastic over the war. got 
out this morning all right But going slow. I 
think we are fooling around hear. Have Nic- 
theroy as a transport boat. She has 2000 tons of 
coal on Board for us and they say she is an 18 
knoter. 



324 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

May 4. I guess the war is on for keeps now. 
We have com back to Rio or near it to wate 
for a Spanish Torpedo Boat that has bin laying 
around hear for the last 3 days and at the same 
time to take the Nichteroy. 

May 5. lost some time waiting for the Nictheroy 
But she came along at dark, the Marietta will 
look out for her and we will pull out for Key 
West I think. 

May 6. Every thing doing well and making 10 
and 11 knots right off the reel now. at 8 P. M. 
the old man called all the Ward Room officers 
in the Cabin and read the tellegrams to them 
from Washington Which wer his sealed Orders 
and one of them reads like this : four armered 
Cruisers left Cape de Verde at some date and 
2 Torpedo Boats, Destination unknown, and 
the old man is told to beware. The old man 
had a consul of War to night, so if we have to 
scrap, we will have to cut a lively gate for 
them, they say the Spanish is some Kind of 
a fighter him self. But we all think we can 
show him a trick with a hole in it. that was a 
great fight of the Manilla bay. 



A SAILOR'S LOG 325 

May 7. Every thing doing well, except this 
morning at 4.50 A. M. Gen Quarters sounded 
and there was a lively old time for a while. 
Every body thought we wer in for it then and 
there. I cannot describe the fealing of en- 
thusiasm about the Decks, you see we had our 
orders to send in a Gen alarm when ever any 
thing looked like a Manowar got in sight, 
there was a little rain squall and some old sail- 
ing ship was in it, and just as she cleared away 
our lookout sighted the ship and sent in the 
alarm; it was the Capts orders to send in the 
alarm even if he was not there as he would get 
there all right, at 9 A. M. the old man called 
all hands to muster on the Quarter deck and 
told us the news he had received at Rio : there 
was 4 first class cruisers and three Torpedo 
Boats going to meet around hear some where 
and do us up. we all expect they will if they 
can, But the pruf of the Puding is the eat- 
ing of it and we will have something to say 
about that. And after telling us about the 
fleet that was going to whip the socks off us he 
made a little speach to us; he said of corse it 
was his duty to the Goverment to get the ship 



326 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

around on the other side and stear clear of the 
fleet if posable. But in case he did meet the 
fleet he was sure Spain's fighting eflSciency on 
the sea would be demineshed. So we all gave 
him three rousen Cheers and the old man 
Blushed, but he is a dandy Just the same. 

May 8. got to Bahia, Bra. at 8.30 P. M. after 
making a good run and having Targate practis 
with full charges of Powder, don some fine 
shooting with the Big Guns. I dont think it 
will be a bit too healthy for the Spanish to 
bump up against us, for we have a good eye. 
We put in hear as an excuse to put on War 
paint saying our engines wer Brok down and 
at the same time to get more coal if we can. 

May 9. Put on War paint to day and we are 
out for it now. we have the ship cleared for 
action now for keeps, got some coal and fresh 
water, filed up with every thing we wanted, 
at 8 P. M. the old man got a telagram and at 
10 P. M. we wer on our corse for the West 
Indias. 

May 10. going along smooth and nothing doing. 



A SAILOR'S LOG 327 

May 11. still expect to meet that fleet and if we 
do meet them there is going to be a "Hot time 
in the old town to night." 

May 12. Every thing the same, some of us think 
we past through the fleet last night, there wer 
several lights all around and acted Mighty quer. 

May 13. Nothing doing and will wate until! we 
get in Port. 

May 18. got into Barbadoes at 4 A. M. this 
morning and found lots of war talk going on; 
we are puting on coal Just now, expect to go 
out of hear to morrow morning erly. 8 P. M. 
up anchor once more after geting 250 tons of 
coal on and ready for buisness. Guess the 
Spanish dont want any of this craft, it seems 
we will get there without firering a shot. 

May 24. arived at Jupiter light house after 
making a flank movement to the northard and 
not a ship to be be seen. 

May 25. up anchor once more for Key West, 
got there on the 26th; of corse the Capt dident 
know how things stud so he had to go slow. 
About 4.30 A. M. the man on the life Bouy 



328 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

gave the alarm, saying there was a small dark 
objict coming this way; the Officer of the Deck 
roused up the Capt and the next thing we knew 
Gen Quarters sounded. What should it be 
But the tug with our Pilot on board for us, the 
"Hudson" was the name of the tug. 

May 27. still puting on coal, expect to go down 
to Cuba with the New York. 

June 1. I herd the first shot in this war to day, 
Santiago de Cuba and with the flying squadron. 

June 2. we had a wild goose chase. 

June 3. nothing doing but laying off hear and 
watching what looks like to me a big hole in the 
grond. same thing the 4th and 5th. 

June 6. Stand from under, we Bombard the 
forts and water Baterys to day for 4 hours but 
dont know how much damage we don. 

June 7. staying out hear and doing nothing. 

June 8. same thing. 

June 9. " 

June 10. we went down to Guantanamo Bay' to 
put some coal on and landed 40 Marines in the 



A SAILOR'S LOG 329 

Morning, we wer the first to put foot on Cuban 
soil in this war. The 9th the Marblehead and 
Dolphin Bombarded the place and made them 
look like Munkys ; they ran away and left every 
thing behind them. 

June 11. came back to Santiago on the 10th. 
and laying off hear as befor. 

June 12. Same old thing. Expecting Troops 
every day. 

June 13. Dito. 

June 14. the New Orleans was ordered to run 
in close to the shore and do som Bombarding 
By her self Just to break the Monotony and to 
let us believe we wer at war. we don a good 
Job all right, she silenced the east Battry and 
the west one too, and made them show up a 
water Battry which we did not know any thing 
about, havent herd how many got kild or 
wounded on the other side. But I know they 
never hert any one on this side. Got some 
news from Guantanamo to day. Co. Hunting- 
ton and his Marines of 800 Had a Brush with 
the Spanish, it is reported that 6 marines wer 



330 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

kild and Doctor Gibbs was shot through the 
head by accident, there is at Guantanamo 
Bay the Texas, Marblehead and Porter and 
800 Marines; they expect to have the cable 
work soon and the Harbor well under Hand. 
I forgot to say the Vesuvius landed 3 shots of 
dinomite in the Harbor on the night of the 13th 
at Santiago and did great damage to the Shore 
Batterys; the latest report is that the Cubans 
are flocking in to Huntingtons camp. 

June 15. coaling ship and still retain our posi- 
sion on the Blockade. 

June 16. At 3.30 A. M. this morning all hands 
was called and the coffie was passed around 
with som hardtack and cand Beef at 4 A. M. 
Turn to, some 15 to 20 Minutes later Qen Quar- 
ters sounded. Then we went at it to try and 
see if we could not knock thoes Batterys off 
the earth. Bombarded untill 7.15 A. M. No- 
body knows how much damage was don, except 
we silinced all the Batterys they had and made 
them show up a nother one inside of the har- 
bor of which there seems to be lots of them. 
I will say right hear that if we take this place 



A SAILOR'S LOG SSI 

its going to be a hot old Job, and som of us 
will think we run up against a Hornets nest 
when we get in side, they have been talking 
of forsing the Chanell and Capt Clark signaled 
over to the flag ship and asked permishion to 
take the leed, and I am sure we will stay with 
him as long as the ship floats for we love him. 
The Vesuvius fired three more shots last night 
at about 12. dont know what damage was don 
But I know we are all tired of this fooling, if 
they would only send some soldiers down here 
from the regular army, say 6 Regiments of In- 
fantry and 3 of Cavalry, I think, with what 
we could put up, that forse would more than 
be a match for them and take the place with 
all ease. The latest Bulitin of the day is that 
the Forses at Guantanamo have bin Joined by 
some Cubans and had a Brush with the Span- 
ish, and the report is that 40 wer kild on the 
Spanish side and 17 taken prisoners of war, 
one Spanish Lut. 2 Corp and 14 Privates. On 
our side 3 Cubans Kild and 2 wounded, 3 Ma- 
rines wounded and 17 overcome by the heat. 
But all recovered. Routed the Spanish and 
distroyed the water suply and Block House. 



332 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

The Dolphin held there posision from the water 
frount and the Texas sunk 2 small Gun boats. 

June 17. come down to Guantanamo Bay this 
morning, put some 300 tons of coal on and throde 
some shells over in an old Fort and then puled 
out right away for Santiago. 

June 20. Bully for the Soldiers, they are hear 
at last, "I thought they would com tomorrow," 
some of the papers say there is 20.000 of them, 
that is enough to eat the plase up for lunch. 
Well I hope we will soon crack this nut that is 
so hard to crack. I hear there is 15000 Spanish 
soldiers over hear. 

June 22. the soldiers are landing all O. K. and 
doing well, and only a few horses and 2 men 
lost so far, so the Flag Ship says. 

June 26. Started in this morning to see if we 
coulden knock down that Spanish old Morro or 
else knock something cruckit around it. Well 
we pelted away for an hour or more and the 
flag ship signaled over to the Iowa to close in 
and pump at the Smith Key Battry. The Iowa 
signaled Back that her forward Turet was out 



A SAILOR'S LOG 333 

of order, so it fel to us, we went in to 700 yards 
of the shore Battry and did knock down the 
Spanish flag with an 8 inch shell and knocked 
over one of there Big Guns. I believe if the 
flag ship had not called us off Capt Clark would 
have went in along side of old Morro and give 
him a tutching up. 

June 28. I am geting tired of trying to keep 
cases on this thing, there is nothing doing but 
laying around hear like a lot of sharks watch- 
ing for a fish. 

July 4. The fish has come out to see us. On 
the 3rd the Spanish fleet came out of the Har- 
bor to fight and get a way if posable. (I would 
have put this down on the 3rd But I dident 
have time and was too tired that night so put 
it off for today.) Well the Fleet came out and 
went to Davy Joneses locker. It was Just 9.25 
A. M., first call had sounded on our ship for 
Quarters and we all have our best dudds on; 
we wer going to listen to the Articles of War 
this morning and to have chirch right affter. 
But we never did. all of a suden the Ordly on 
watch made a dive for the Cabin head first. 



334 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

and told the old man the Fleet was coming out 
of the Harbor, the old man jumpt up a stand- 
ing, as soon as some of the men seen the ships 
there, they went to there Quarters with out any 
further dealy. I was standing on the Quarter 
Deck waiting for the last call to go. I heard 
the news and looking around the affter Terets 
seen the first one. I thought she looked Biger 
than a Mountain. But then I thought affter- 
wards we could cut her down to her natchral 
size, of corse it takes longer to tell about it 
than it taken us to get ready, for we wer all ways 
ready, and all we had to do was to sound the 
Bells and stand By our Guns, they wer allways 
loaded so all we had to do was to turn on the 
fors draught and pull the triger. 

By 9.27 the Oregon fired the first shot of 
the Battle of July 3rd, 1898 at the first ship 
that came out of the Harbor. I dont remember 
the ships as they come out. But we went in to 
meet them and passed them som good shots as 
they cep coming, about 7 or 9 minuts after 
they got started good, one of our 6 inch guns 
blew up one of the Torpedo Boats, struck her 
squar amidships, she sunk like a rock with all 



A SAILOR'S LOG 335 

on board, and right hear is where I had to 
stop for a moment to admire one of there Gun- 
ers. I do think he was one of the bravest men 
I ever had the pleasure to look upon. That 
man must have known he was going to a shure 
Deth, he stud on Deck and cep firing at us all 
the time, and the last time I seen him he was 
Just going up in the air. As the ships came 
out of the harbor they sircled to the right, or 
Westward, and Capt Clark knew they were try- 
ing to escape, they did not think the old Ore- 
gon was such a runer as she was a fighter, so 
we Just tailed on with them and giving them 
shot for shot. In about 20 minuts the first 
ship went on the Beach, plumb knocked out, 
and 15 minutes later the secon one went on the 
Beach, a short ways from the first. Then came 
the tug of war for we had to run to catch the 
Vizcaya and the Colon, but we catched them 
both, the Vizcaya was about 4000 yards ahead 
and the Colon was about 3 miles ahead, and 
the poor men in the fireroom was working like 
horses, and to cheer them up we passed the 
word down the ventlators how things was go- 
ing on, and they passed the word back if we 



336 MY FIFTY YEARS IN THE NAVY 

would cut them down they would get us to 
where we could do it. So we got in rainge of 
the Vizcaya and we sent her ashore with the 
secondary Battry and 6 inch guns, and then 
we settled down for a good chase for the Colon. 
I thought she was going to run a way from us. 
But she had to make a curv and we headed for 
a point that she had to come out at. We all 
think there is no man in the Navy like Capt 
Clark, he is a Brave man, he stud on the For- 
ward 13 inch turet though the thickest of this 
fight and directed his ship to the final results. 

Coming back to Santiago we waited untill 
we got to where the first ship went on the 
Beach and there fired the national salut. We 
have 3 Spanish prisoners on board and they 
thought we wer at it a gain, and it was all the 
sick Bay man could do as to quiet them. I 
hear there is over 1800 Prisoners and 650 kild 
and 800 wounded on the third, the three men 
on board tells the sickbay man that we run 
through there fleet coming around hear, for 
the next day they found a Pork Barrel ful of 
holes and had marked on the head U. S. S. 
Oregon. We all seem to think we could take 



A SAILOR'S LOG 337 

care of our selves Just the same, it is Just 
6.50 P. M. now and the men all say there is no 
flag flying in the Morro. But I can see Just 
as good as any and I can not see any either. 
But then I think we are out too far. 
July 5. At about 11.45 the danger Signal was 
flashed by the lookout from the Massachusetts, 
she being the one to show her serchlight at the 
entrance of the Harbor for the night, the Span- 
ish was trying to sink one of there old ships 
in the Chanel so as not to let us in. But Just 
3 or 4 shots from the Massachusetts Big 13 
inch Guns help them to do the Job, for she 
sunk befor they got to the Chanal. there is 
Spanish menowar and Torpedo boats strung 
all along the Beach for 60 miles. 

July 10. We are laying off now in Guantanamo 
Bay filing out to go to Porto Rico or on the 
Coast of Spain. 

This is all in regards to the trip of the 

Oregon. 

R. Cross. 



ADDENDA 

" If there's a fight 
By day or night 
We're ready for it now." 

From Nesbit's Oregon poem in the Baltimore " American.'* 

The speed so unexpectedly shown by the Oregon at 
the crisis of the battle, due primarily to the efforts of 
her officers and men, already referred to, was because 
she was never without full steam on all boilers while off 
Santiago. There was a statement, accepted for a time 
at the Navy Department, that she was about to shift 
from forward to after boilers and so only happened to 
have full steam when the Spanish fleet rushed out. 
But this was answered effectually at the Schley Court 
of Inquiry when the commander of the Brooklyn was 
recalled. 

Knowing how deeply officers, seamen, firemen and 
marines on board the Oregon regretted that the Depart- 
ment failed to recommend that a medal be struck to 
commemorate the service of their ship, I addressed 
the Secretary of the Navy, March 29, 1900. 

" Therefore in justice to officers and men who exerted 
themselves so much and endured such hardships dur- 
ing the long and arduous voyage from the Pacific, 
that their ship might be present and efficient in the 
hour of need, whose willingness to encounter single- 

338 



ADDENDA 339 

handed the enemy's fleet if it should cross her track 
was so evident, and whose enthusiasm in battle was 
so inspiring, I feel that I should emphasize the fol- 
lowing facts : That the Oregon speedily gained a posi- 
tion nearest the enemy, that she held that position 
during the crisis of the battle, that she attacked in suc- 
cession all four of the enemy's ships, and that she 
passed none until they turned for the beach, three 
on fire and the fourth with her colors coming down." 

The following is from my letter to the Department 
after the battle. 

" I cannot speak in too high terms of the bearing 
and conduct on board this ship. When they found 
the Oregon had pushed to the front and was hurrying 
to a succession of conflicts with the enemy's vessels if 
they could be overtaken and would engage, the enthu- 
siasm was intense. 

" As these vessels were so much more heavily armored 
than the Brooklyn they might have concentrated upon 
and overpowered her and consequently I am persuaded 
that but for the way the officers and men of the Oregon 
steamed and steered the ship and fought and supplied 
her batteries, the Colon and perhaps the Vizcaya, would 
have escaped. Therefore I feel that they rendered 
meritorious service to the country." 



Positions of American and Spanish ships at the 
Battle of Santiago, as shown by the Board 
OF Navigators, one officer from each ship 
engaged : 




Scookl/n 

• Texas 



Indiana 



lowa« •Oreffon 



FrRST POSITION 

TheAmecican ships on station- 

July 3. 1898. Flagship the New York 

to the eastward 



TecesaO O Colon 
Vizcaya 



Brooklyn # ,owa# Indiana 

Ocegon# • The 




Texas* 



SECOND POSITION 
Spanish fleet coming out. American 
ships closing in. Ocegon passing to front 
between the Iowa and Texas 



340 



ADDENDA 



341 




Teresa O 

Colon O 

OquendoO 
.,. O •Iowa 

Vjzcaya ^Qccgon #Texas 

• Brooklyn 



Indiana 



THIRD POSITION 

The Spanish flagship Teresa 

has been driven out of action as 

the Oregon closed Oregon now 

t>rmging Oqucndo to close action 

which vessel soon heads for 

the shore 



Colon 
O 




VizcayaO 




• Iowa 




SIXfH POSITION 




• Otregon 


• Texas 


The 


Vizcaya driven out of action 


• Bcooklyn 





o 

Colon 



SEVENTH POSITION 

The Colon surrenders as the last 
8hot from the Oregon falls alongside 



New York 



• OC«gort 
I Brooklyn 



• Texas 



INDEX 

Ah Tee, Chinese comprador, friendship for America, 

217, 222. 
Aiken, John A., Chief Justice of the Superior Court of 

Massachusetts. Publishes "The Voyage of the 

Oregon", 305. 
Annapolis, arrival of troops at, 31 ; removal of Academy 

from, 33. 
Arthur, Chester A., President, visit to U.S.S. New 

Hampshire, 242. 
Beecher, Henry Ward, remarkable sermon of, heard by 

midshipmen, 38. 
Bem, Acting Lieutenant Commander, 81. 
Beresford, Lord Charles, English Admiral, comments 

about Oregon, 142; Monadnocky 151. 
Blake, Commodore, Superintendent of Naval Academy, 

14. 
Buchanan, Franklin, Confederate Admiral, attack 

upon our fleet by, 102. 
Cervera, Spanish Admiral. Brave and magnanimous. 

Rescues Hobson and companions, 284; conduct 

in battle, 295. 
Constitution, last preparations made for defense of, 27 ; 

compared by Secretary of the Navy with Oregon, 36. 
Cook, Rear Admiral, 49 ; receives surrender of the 

Colon, 50. 
Cumberland, De Joinville's tribute to her defense, 52; 

escape from, by Selfridge and Stuyvesant, 52. 
Cushing, hero of the Albemarle, reference to promotion 

of, 168. 

343 



344 INDEX 

Davis, George Thornton, Captain, bravery of, at Fort 

Fisher, 49. 
De Courcey, English Commodore, adherence to form 

at presentation to Queen Victoria. 
De Joinville, Prince, tribute to defense of Cumberland, 

52 ; anecdote of, 54. 
D'Orleans, Due de Penthievre, Midshipman, loss of 

personal effects, 43 ; startles royalty, 44. 
Emma, Queen of the Sandwich Islands, passenger on 

board Vanderbilt, 172. 
Farragut, David Glasgow, Admiral, anecdote of, 89 ; 

at Mobile Bay, 95, famous signal of, 102. 
Fort Morgan, passage of, by Farragut's fleet, 98 ; 

capture of, 109. 
Galveston, Texas, scene of reverses, 84 ; breaking the 

blockade at, 85. 
Gorgey, Arthur, Hungarian General, 81. 
Gull versus game-cocks, 174. 
Hartford, Farragut's flagship, rams the Tennessee, 103 ; 

executive oflicer of, 212. 
Hastings, English Admiral, efforts to serve shipwrecked 

Americans, 194. 
Hotel des Invalides, visit to, 65. 
House of Lords, visit to, 56. 

Howell, J. A., Rear Admiral, services at Mobile unre- 
warded, 106. 
Johji Adams, sloop-of-war, practice-ship, 51. 
Jouett, James, Rear Admiral, captures the Selma, 102. 
Le Roy, William E., Rear Admiral, commander of the 

Ossipee at Mobile Bay, 99, receives the surrender 

of the iron-clad flagship, Tennessee, 105. 
Lincoln, Abraham, President, acceptance of steamer 

Vanderbilt by, 129. 



RD - 5 h4 



V 



INDEX 345 

Luce, Stephen B., Rear Admiral, commands practice- 
ship Macedonian, 34 ; founder of Naval War 
College, 243. 

Ludlow, NicoU, Midshipman, 55. 

Ludlow, William, reference to services of, 253. 

Macedonian, corvette, practice-ship, 54. 

Mahan, Alfred T., Captain and author, 49 ; reference 
to Oregon by, 272. 

Mahopac, ordered to, 203. 

Mitchell, Doctor S. W., 304. 

Monadnock, double-turreted monitor sent to the 
Pacific, 124. 

Monocacy, swings about in Yangtze, 230 ; race with 
Kestrel, 233. 

Napoleon, Louis, Emperor, dread of Orsini and asso- 
ciates, 134. 

New Hampshire, my first command at sea, 235. 

Newport, R. L, transfer of Naval Academy to, 40. 

Nunez, Mendez, Spanish Admiral, attractive person- 
ality of, 144 ; bombards Valparaiso, 155 ; wounded 
at Callao, 164. 

Orsini, Felice, mysterious account of, at Isles de Salut, 
134. 

Oregon, battleship, ordered to command of, 257 ; from 
the Pacific to Key West, 258-277; at Santiago, 
282-297. 

Ossipee, steam-sloop, narrow escape from iron-clad 
Tennessee, 100 ; last to strike the Tennessee, 104. 

Ranger, take command of, 244. 

Reed, "Savez ", Confederate naval hero, 120. 

Rodgers, John, Commodore, record of meritorious 
services of, 124 ; intention to prevent bombard- 
ment of Valparaiso, 147. 



346 INDEX 

Roosevelt, Theodore, President, 302. 

St. Paul's Cathedral, London, visit to, 60. 

Sampson, Williani T., Rear Admiral, influence when a 
midshipman, 24; signal from, 281. 

Schley, W. S., Commodore, complimentary signal to 
the Oregon, 299. 

SuwaneCy wreck of, July 7, 1868, 179. 

Vanderbilt, steamer transferred to Government, 129. 

Walker, J. G., Rear Admiral, association with, 235. 

Watson, John Crittenden, Rear Admiral, lashes Farra- 
gut to rigging, 94 ; naval representative to corona- 
tion, London, 302. 



^i 













':^n ^> 



.nc, 



1^ «t^jy?9i>^'* Wv'fc 

















<0 



^/"^ ' 



'^' ^^'% '^ 



* ^v ^» '^^' 



^^-'^^ -. 








.4^^ 








^oV^ 



J\ ^ *'/««' *G ^ ** • Deacidified using the Bookkeeper 

A> a M o \A^ ^V t ' • '^ Neutralizing Agent: Magnesium O 

.-^^ .'^i^** ^ r^ t /^^^"^ ^O Treatment Date: 

» * -^^^^r -^^ ^. ^ ^mf/^- .^ _ja lit, JANi 






w DUur\r\tJt?jjd pro 

Magnesium Oxide 



-4 G» 






r"^ /v PRESERVATION TECHNOLOGIES 



• H O 



^0^ 



PRESERVATION TECHNOLOGIES 
1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Twp.. PA 16066 
(412)779-2111 

















'- .^-^"/ 















DOBBS BROS. . ,-^ 

LIBRARY BINDINO i 







STv aLgUSTIW©' 
/^^ FLA. 



\ 



